Among Demons
by Rusty And The Rubix Horse
Summary: When Atlantis is attacked, Todd makes a desperate attempt to save the Hoffan drug, but in order to do so, Jennifer Keller must tag along. A/U fitting bits and pieces of various episodes into a new plot. Todd/Jennifer with a bit of Rodney/Jennifer thrown into the mix for good measure. Rated M for later chapters.
1. Attack

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any part of any of the Stargate Universe. I just twist their plots around to make people I don't know happy.

**Chapter One**

The city quaked, nearly stealing the ground from beneath Jennifer Keller's feet. Her hands flung out to catch herself against the lab table. The Wraith prisoner in the background swiftly wrapped his arms around a tray of test tubes in a desperate attempt to stop them from falling to the floor. When the motion ceased, they and the two armed guards present in the room looked at one another in confusion.

"What the hell was that?" Keller asked, breathing fast as she looked between the others. The sound of the Atlantean alarm system answered her question. The guards radios crackled to life, recalling them to the gate room, but not before they refastened the steel glove over the Wraith's feeding hand. As Atlantis shuddered once more, they instructed the pair to remain in the room until the situation was resolved.

"Your city appears to be under attack," the Wraith scientist observed, his mouth hanging partially open as he stared up at the ceiling as though answers would fall from it.

Jennifer shot him a glare.

"The timing is rather convenient, isn't it Todd?" she spat, rounding on him and watching as he, too, turned to face her. "The serum is nearly complete. Now would be the perfect time for your kind to lay first strike."

The Wraith seemed genuinely offended as he came into her space in two quick strides. His towering height intimidated her almost as much as did the slitted yellow eyes boring into her own. In spite of his offense, the Wraith's hands remained at his sides as he spoke.

"I assure you, _Doctor_ Kell-err, that I know nothing of this attack. Our agreement ensured I would be returned to my Hive once the serum had proven successful. Why would I attack and steal when I could easily possess the serum with your leaders' _permission_?"

The woman's elbows had come to rest against the surface of the table as she leaned back to put as much space between them as she could. Her eyes wavered back and forth between each of his own, straining to determine the validity of his words. His chest quickly rose and fell in the same anger and frustration Jennifer herself was feeling, and she realized after another moment of observation that he was telling the truth. She gave a single, brusque nod and righted herself, bringing their faces close together. His eyes narrowed and refused to release hers for yet another long moment, and then, finally, he dipped his head and stepped back.

"I knew you would come to see it my way," he breathed, turning away from her and placing his hands behind his back.

The building shook again, harder this time, and the lab tables collapsed. Todd made a mad snatch for the test tubes, but he only managed to save one. The others crashed to the floor, their contents splashing out across the floor. The Wraith rose up from one knee, his free hand quivering as he held the vial up before his eyes. Jennifer, her own eyes wide and panicked, watched him.

Another strike rocked the city, and sparks flew from one of the consoles on the lab wall from behind Jennifer's position. Hot metal landed on her uniform, quickly burning through it and burying the flecks into her skin. She cried out and fell to the ground, covering the wounds with her hand, as another console exploded. She saw Todd flinch and duck before his eyes locked on the closed door, and then back on the woman nearby.

"This sample _cannot_ be damaged. It is all that is left."

Jennifer, her arm throbbing in pain, looked up at him.

"Atlantis is the safest place for—"

"Your precious _Atlantis_ is at _war_, Doctor Kell-err. No doubt it is the Replicators at work here, and they simply cannot be allowed to possess this serum." Todd's anger was palpable, the veins in his skull showing more prominently and indicating his skin had paled.

Another tone abruptly split the room, and Jennifer's stomach dropped.

_The self-destruct sequence._

Todd seemed to have noticed her change in appearance, and his own breathing hitched.

"What is it?"

"They've armed the city's self-destruct," she whispered, her lips quivering as she sat up.

The Wraith scientist's mouth stayed open again, as it tended to do when he was stressed or frustrated, and he squeezed the vial more tightly in his hand. Swiftly, he righted himself and shoved the vial into the pocket of his trench coat and slammed his body against the door. With his right hand hampered by the steel glove, he could use both hands to pry open the door.

"If the Replicators destroy this facility, everything we have worked for...all the progress we have made...it will all have been for _nothing_! Human and Wraith alike will be obliterated...I cannot allow that to happen." He looked at her now, his eyes wide. "How long until the sequence is complete?"

The woman got to her feet now, still holding her arm and gritting her teeth in pain.

"Seven minutes."

Todd stepped forward.

"Remove my restraint."

"Why?"

The Wraith growled and curled his lips into a snarl.

"_Because_ I cannot open the door with only one hand, _Doctor._"

"I...I can't let you go," Jennifer responded, grimacing as another wave of pain swept through her arm and the city quaked again. "Your kind is aggressive and volatile. I have no way to know that you will revise the serum and find a way to use it against humans."

Annoyed, the Wraith stepped to her and grabbed her by her good arm.

"Then, by all means, come along, if it will so appease you. Now, _remove_ this infernal contraption so that I may use my hands to help _us_ escape!"

With the self-destruct alarm ringing in their ears and the Wraith holding her in a death grip, Jennifer released her own arm and retrieved the ring of keys from her belt loop. With quivering hands and the Wraith tilting his head menacingly from one side to the next as she fumbled, he undid the lock and the steel glove fell to the floor. He smiled down at her, his sharp teeth exposed, and flexed his feeding hand. Keller's eyes met his as she felt his hand tighten down on her arm.

For a moment, the fact that he had pulled back his feeding hand left her in doubt of his promise of escape for them both. She shrank backward, pulling against him, and a low, slow chuckle emerged from his throat.

"Fear not, Doctor Kell-err," he purred, pulling her forward now. "I am nothing if not a Wraith of my word." With that, he released her, and pried open the door.

* * *

The moment they stepped through the doorway, the corridor before them exploded. Shards of metal and chunks of rock spewed forth, the pair of them ducking and sheltering their heads as they ran. Jennifer didn't know where Todd was taking them, but she knew she didn't have a choice but to follow him. Colonel Carter would never have activated the self-destruct unless this battle could not be won. They wound their way through the wreckage of the city, until Jennifer at last came to recognize where they were headed.

"The Jumper Bay?" she gasped as they ran, but she was suddenly halted by an arm having been flung out before her. Todd had stopped and stood very still, listening through the alarm for something Jennifer could not detect. After a moment, he looked over his shoulder and gave her a nod of acknowledgement.

"Yes..." he whispered, his stance tense. "My cruiser is still in tact, I can sense it."

Jennifer stopped again, straining to catch her breath as she glared at the departing Wraith's cloaked back.

"And...where are we going to go once we get to your cruiser?"

The alien stopped and straightened, rounding on her.

"You are welcome to stay here, Doctor, if you so wish it." He sneered at the fright he saw in her expression. "I didn't think so. Now, unless you have some maniacal desire to risk not only your own life but the research we have so labored over these past months, you will come with me."

He grabbed for her arm again, this time latching onto the bad arm, but he ignored her cries of pain as he dragged her toward the Jumper Bay. When they reached it, he practically threw her into the cruiser and made his way to the control console.

The Jumper Bay doors opened, and the Wraith seemed completely at ease as he raised the cruiser out of the hanger and pressed the machine forward and into motion. Two rogue blasts skimmed the rear of the ship and caused it to spiral once, but the inertial dampeners—or whatever it was Rodney had called them—were obviously at work. The duo inside the ship felt nothing, and within moments, they were out of weapons range and the cruiser was piercing through the uppermost layers of the atmosphere.


	2. Aboard the Hive

"We are nearing our destination."

Todd's typical, distorted voice rang through the cabin of his cruiser, startling the woman having pressed herself into a corner. She stood up, arm still throbbing, and approached the leather-clad figure at the controls. He turned his head and watched her out of the corner of his eye. Jennifer wasn't sure if it was done out of concern for his well-being or out of habit. As she came to stand beside him, he straightened and placed his hands behind his back before facing her. As he turned, the glittering form of a Wraith Hive appeared through the window behind him.

"I have alerted my Hive to our situation and that I will be bringing a..._guest_...on board." Todd paused for a moment, considering his words. "I must warn you that your presence will not be welcomed among my compatriots, in spite of the fact that you will be there of my own command. It will be...difficult...to convince them of your worth."

The doctor's throat constricted, but she let the Wraith continue.

"When we arrive, you must not show fear. While some of us, like myself, can exercise restraint, the other, _lower_, members of my kind may not. Providing you remain calm, they will not make any attempts at your life."

"Aren't _you_ supposed to be in charge? Shouldn't they listen to you?"

The scientist chuckled, a deep, throaty sound Jennifer couldn't quite decide if she liked.

"They _should_, yes. But, as I'm sure you are well aware, there are no guarantees with my kind. We are, after all, an 'aggressive and volatile' race." The good doctor was certain she saw him mimic the raised-eyebrow expression so common to humans, and she felt her face flush in a discomfort she hadn't expected. Todd was playing on her previous words to him, indicating, however indirectly, that he had been offended by her description. But, rather than appeasing him with an apology, Jennifer stood tall and set her jaw.

"Well," she snapped, "You are."

This time the laughter was more pronounced, and the Wraith commander pivoted back to the controls. His hands worked fluidly across the console, his eyes skimming across the scrolling array of symbols. "It appears that there are some facets of your own character that would do well to be restrained. Namely, your impudence toward your superiors." When he looked over his shoulder at her again, something in his expression had changed. "I will not tolerate insubordination, Doctor Kell-err. If you wish to survive long enough to see the serum put into action, you _will_ heed my every command, and even more so when there are others in the vicinity."

Jennifer felt her body weakening and she leaned against another console for support.

"And when our research is complete? What of me then?"

The yellow eyes glimmered and the pupils dilated.

"That remains to be seen, Doctor. I make no promises I cannot keep."

* * *

The Wraith Second, who Jennifer recognized by the name John had given him, stared at her, wide eyed and mouth open, as she appeared behind Todd in the cruiser bay. Kenny looked at his commander a moment later, evidently surprised.

"The healer?" he asked, and Todd dipped his head into a nod.

"She is vital to the completion of the Hoffan serum. And...we did not have time to bicker about whether or not she was coming along." There was a hint of irritation in his voice as he said this, and Kenny looked back at Jennifer with narrowed eyes. "Please, escort our guest to the upper deck. Allow her to make herself comfortable." Todd's eyes met the doctor's and his eyes lifted into a faint imitation of a human smile. It might have been comforting...had the razor sharp teeth been less obvious to her as he did so. Kenny stepped back and held out his arm, ushering her past Todd and allowing her to walk beside him to an uncertain fate.

* * *

"I trust you have found your accommodations more than suitable?"

Jennifer's body hitched and she whirled around to see the Wraith commander standing in the doorway, his hands placed in their trademark position at his back, his shoulders stout and firm. He took a few slow steps toward her and watched with a weak sense of amusement as she backed herself into a wall, and then appeared quite panicked when she had nowhere to go.

"I must say that I am surprised by your mistrust, Doctor Kell-err," he vociferated from his place before her. "We have worked together many times, and I have never once threatened your life." Now he appeared genuinely interested to hear her response.

"You mean besides the time you tried to ram the Daedalus into the planet harboring the Aterro device? You know _I_ was aboard that ship, right?" The woman crossed her arms now, feigning strength of character, but failing when her arm twinged and she flinched.

"You are hurt," Todd observed, and before she could remove herself from his range, his feeding hand took hold of her.

"Don't!" the honey-blonde woman cried, struggling against her captor. "Please, don't—"

The Wraith only snarled and slammed her against the wall with his other hand. The doctor screamed, her voice crackling at the pitch, as she prepared for the inevitable. But, instead of the sensation of his feeding hand plunging against her chest and taking her life, she felt the burning ache in her arm dissipate. Moments later, the commander released her, and she collapsed to the soft Hive floor. Her breathing was rapid, but the pain was gone. When Todd knelt before her, she refused to look at him.

"Perhaps you should consider other possible outcomes to my touch before you let my entire crew believe I have fed upon you, Doctor Kell-err." He placed a cold finger beneath her chin and lifted her face to look at him. "And perhaps we are not as 'aggressive and volatile' as you might have imagined. Had I wished to obtain sustenance from you, I would have fed upon you long before now, and would not have wasted the resources to bring you to my ship."

Beneath his hand, he felt the woman trembling, in spite of the words he intended to be calming. Obviously, it wasn't working, and it frustrated him. She had seemed perfectly at ease when they were working together in the Atlantean lab. He didn't understand why the environment would have any affect on her willingness to work by his side.

"Doctor Kell-err," he purred, making a conscious effort to make his voice as cordial as possible. "Contrary to what you may believe, you are in no danger here so long as I am by your side. We must work together on this gene therapy, just as we have done before."

"Before there wasn't the constant risk of being _eaten_," she spat in return.

"So long as you do not make a habit of wandering the ship unescorted, I can assure you that risk is quite minimal here as well."

"And what happens when we perfect the gene therapy? When you no longer have a use for me? Without Atlantis, you can't send me home. What will become of me? I will _not_ serve the enemy of the Ancients only to be fed upon in the end." Her voice shook as she questioned him.

The Wraith groaned and rolled his eyes slightly—a trait he had picked up during his time as a prisoner of the Genii. He knew the doctor wasn't stupid...so _why_ couldn't she seem to get it through her head that he didn't want to kill her?

"We will examine your options when the need presents itself," he answered finally, still crouched in front of her and holding her chin between his fingers. "But for now, I must confine you to these quarters until you are able to quell your anxieties about living among my Wraith. Your fear will only encourage their insubordination, and I cannot risk being deprived of your expertise. You are not my prisoner, but my guest. You may move about these quarters freely and devoid of restraints. That is more hospitality than was shown to me back in Atlantis." He sneered here, and released her.

They stood up in unison, Keller's mind swimming with the recognition of the hospitable side of Todd she had not witnessed until now. But, was it genuine? That would remain to be seen. The Wraith stepped back, allowing her to regain her personal space, and then held out an arm.

"Please," he began, the hoarse nature of his voice seeming somewhat subdued, "Allow me to show you to your sleeping chambers. I think you will find them quite comfortable."

Still tense, but deciding to give him the benefit of the doubt for the time being, Jennifer allowed herself to be ushered to the far side of the upper deck. As they passed through several doors, Todd explained how she would be able to make them function properly. When they reached a fourth set of doors, the Wraith stopped and held his body in a rigid posture upon facing her.

"This door can be programmed to accept only your individual vocal intonations as a means of entering. It is one of the ways we Wraith ensure we have time to ourselves. As you can imagine, it is...tiresome...to operate mentally...for days on end."

"Like that overly friendly neighbor who won't shut up," Keller mumbled, but Todd merely tilted his head. She looked up at him. "I just mean that I understand." He nodded.

"As we are both still wary of the other, I have not yet programmed this door to function in this way, but should your stay outlast our...differences of opinion...I will do so."

A part of her didn't quite understand his reasoning, but she dipped her head nonetheless.

"Thank you, Todd."

A mere grunt answered her, and he swiped his hand across the door but didn't actually touch it. It opened, revealing a large room with an enormous window. She realized that the window was on one side of the large center gap seen in the Hive ships, and as she approached it, she was able to look out over the entire ship. Beside the window was a large bed, draped in deep purple blankets and a set of maroon pillows—or whatever the Wraith equivalents were called. There was a small table in one corner and two chairs tucked beneath it, and a large couch with a coffee table along the back wall perpendicular to the doorway.

Jennifer strolled slowly around the room, her gaze examining yet another feature that caught her attention more than the others.

"Books?" she inquired, her head tilting slightly to one side as she looked at Todd. He inclined his head and she reached for one of the volumes on the massive shelf. When she opened it, however, her heart sank. She closed it and put it back on the shelf.

"Is there a problem, Doctor?" Todd asked, seeming bothered by her actions.

"I cannot read your language."

Todd grunted again, and moved past her to reach for another volume. His clawed fingers ran along the spines, seeking one in particular.

"Here..." he breathed, and held the book out to her on his palm. "This will help." With that, the Wraith commander turned away from her and made to leave the room. Before he exited through the doorway, however, he paused and called over his shoulder. "We will begin work on the remaining sample after the night has passed."


	3. Adjustments

"This is pointless," Jennifer snapped several weeks later from the lab table over which she was hunched, a pair of tweezers in between her fingers as she moved a sample from one tray to the next. "We can't eliminate the Iratus bug proteins without interfering with the Wraith regenerative abilities. Somehow I don't think your kind would approve of _that_."

Todd made a noise in his throat indicative of acknowledgement, but spoke no words aloud.

"If you _really_ want to see this succeed, we need to not only reactivate those proteins, but increase their potency. It's the only way to retain the regenerative properties of your own DNA while simultaneously ensuring the ability to sustain yourselves with physical elements."

"The Iratus bug does not possess the ability to survive on tangible nourishment," Todd declared, sounding bored and uninterested as he swiped across the screen of the console before which he stood. "Like the Wraith, it requires the immaterial human energy."

"Not _just_ human energy," Jennifer corrected quickly, and the Wraith looked at her. This time, there was a mild curiosity present in his yellow eyes, and he tilted his head.

"Elaborate."

"In certain human religions, it is believed that the spirits of animals can be used as a means of appeasing the gods and preventing them from inflicting misfortune upon the people who worship them."

"That is absurd. The Wraith would never accept a beast as substitution for a human."

Jennifer ignored him.

"In my travels with the Atlantis expedition, we came across one race that followed a similar practice of tying a small goat outside of an Iratus hive as a means of deterring the insects from leaving the cavern. The Iratus bugs had no reason to leave the cave and seek human hosts so long as there was a live animal at their doorstep instead."

Todd's eyes narrowed and he turned, straightening, and placed his hands behind back. It had become a sort of indicator to Jennifer that he was listening closely to her words, but as she was finished speaking for the moment, she rolled away from the desk slightly and folded her own hands in her lap. The Wraith's eyes followed the movement for a moment and then scanned slowly back up her body to connect their gazes. Jennifer felt heat rise in her face and she quickly dropped her eyes to the lab table, waiting for him to speak.

"Did the Atlanteans perform tests to confirm that the Iratus were actually sustaining themselves on this..._goat_...as you called it?"

The woman brushed a lock of her honey-blonde hair behind one ear and tried to conceal the small giggle left by Todd's uncertainty of the meaning of the term 'goat.' Instead, she gave him a faint smile and answered his question.

"We did. And it was confirmed. The Iratus were clearly able to use animals' energy in the humans' stead. At least, the ones on that particular planet were."

"Why did these humans not simply destroy the hive rather than helping it to survive?"

"They were aware of the similarities between the Iratus bugs and the Wraith. Perhaps they were afraid to destroy the hive for fear of repercussions from your kind." Jennifer stood now, and moved to the small laptop on the other side of the room. "Where did you get this?" She gestured to the computer and then crossed her arms and faced him.

Caught off guard by the sudden change in subject, Todd appeared flustered.

"I procured it during my first visit to Atlantis." His frown was deep and exaggerated.

"You mean you stole it." It was not a question.

"In a manner of speaking, yes. It was slated for destruction."

"Did it ever occur to you to wonder _why_ it might have been slated for destruction?" the woman asked, her tone sharp as she tipped one hip out and raised her eyebrows.

"I did not have time to wonder. I saw an opportunity, and I seized it."

"The hard drive in this machine contains much of Michael's flawed research into his own Iratus-based gene therapy. I presume your second in command has been using this as his introduction into the serum during your absence? _Please_ tell me he hasn't utilized any of its teachings in the samples you showed to me earlier today." The brown eyed woman studied Todd, awaiting an explanation.

"He has not."

"That's good for you. Michael's methods ensured the removal of the feeding hand, _and_ the enzyme that makes natural digestion possible in the Wraith body."

"_Natural_?" the Wraith commander roared suddenly, narrowing his eyes at her and broadening his shoulders in a threatening manner. "The only _natural_ digestion we Wraith possess is that which absorbs the energy you humans are so keen to deem obsolete! Consider if the tables were turned, _Doctor_ Kell-err...if we Wraith were striving to develop a serum to render _your_ manner of obtaining nourishment inert. I could demonstrate my point by removing you of your hands!" He advanced on her, and she shrank backward, frightened by his outburst.

"Furthermore, I have expressed my concerns about this particular methodology to you in the past, yet your kind has remained defiant and steadfast in your search for a solution, never once considering the thoughts of those whom this therapy will affect. Michael's research was _hardly_ flawed. It was quite ingenious, actually, for his therapy ensured the Wraith would never need to _feed_ again...on energy _or_ tangible matter." His face was mere inches from her own, his anger and offense clearly visible in the way the veins in his skull pulsed so rapidly.

Thoroughly refuted, the doctor lowered her eyes to the floor once again and clasped her hands in front of her waist.

"Forgive me," she said quietly, and dipped her head in submission.

The Wraith bared his teeth and slammed the laptop closed. He roughly pulled the cords out of the back (_"Humans and their rudimentary power supplies..."_), and then thrust the computer into Jennifer's arms.

"You will spend the rest of the evening examining Michael's research for yourself, and will report your findings to me come morning. I beg you do not close your mind to the possibility that he may have been...on...to something. My Second has thus far been unable to determine _why_ all of Michael's experimentations were failures. If you can provide me with this information...you will be greatly rewarded." The yellow eyes locked with brown and the pupils dilated slightly as it happened. Unable to sustain the contact for any longer than an instant, Keller looked down and gave another nod of understanding. Todd swept out an arm, clearly aggravated but retaining the niceties, and ushered her toward her private quarters. He opened the door and practically shoved her inside, and she heard the telltale sound of the locking mechanism once the door was closed.

* * *

In spite of Rodney having installed the translation script on the laptop before Todd snatched it from the Atlantean lab, the random Wraith glyphs inserted into the mix were making it increasingly difficult for Jennifer to understand Michael's notes. As the mathematics and chemical sequences grew more advanced, Rodney's script became less accurate. Eventually, it reached the point where the good doctor could understand none of it, and she finally pressed the lid down. She tried to imagine what Rodney would say to her to ease her frustration, but his voice was clouded by the sudden realization that she would likely never speak to Rodney again.

She remembered the way the Wraith cruiser had spiraled soon after their takeoff, and a part of her wanted to believe it had been caused by a Replicator weapon. Far more likely, she surmised, was that the Ancient city had carried out its threats to self-destruct. John Sheppard and his crew had been off-world at the time, but with Atlantis' destruction they would have no way of knowing exactly what had happened, and no chance of finding any survivors. Even if they did somehow manage to return to the planet, now gateless, that had once played host to the city-ship, they would likely assume Jennifer to be dead as well and would make no attempts to search for her. It occurred to her that, had Todd been telling her the truth when he insisted she was safe with him, her stay aboard the Hive could be far from temporary.

It seemed strange to think that these alien quarters might well become her permanent home. Todd, at least, seemed to have considered this possibility before she had. He had taken to checking in on her each evening before he vanished to his own section of the upper deck, and although Jennifer didn't quite believe he did so out of anything but necessity, this routine had helped ease her transition into Hive life. Not that she was actually assimilating into the Wraith society...but at least the strange noises and motions of the organic walls and floors didn't startle her quite as much as they had before. In time, she almost came to appreciate the faint hum of the engines and the soft mists that filtered across the floor each night. The air was always the right temperature and surprisingly fresh, but still slightly more humid than she preferred.

Her thoughts wandered to the Wraith that had brought her here, and back to the situation on Atlantis that had caused him to do so. In spite of having worked with him for so long on her own turf and believing she had a decent understanding of his character, Todd's daily presence still filled her body with adrenaline. Jennifer was fairly certain he knew of his own influence upon her, and she still feared what he would eventually do with that influence. Thus far he had been true to his word and had not tried to feed upon her, but he could only survive so long without sustenance. She doubted there were any humans aboard the ship besides herself. Todd wouldn't have been so careless as to enter into a contract with the Atlanteans while his chambers held human prisoners. Sooner or later he would need to feed, and Jennifer shuddered at the thought.

The door to her room dissolved into itself and revealed Todd's Second on the other side. Kenny, as she knew him, bore a stiff, stern expression as he stepped forward dipped his head in greeting. Confused as to why he had come rather than Todd himself, Jennifer held her ground.

"I have been instructed to move you to one of the lower decks," Kenny said quickly, and without hesitation he reached for the woman's upper arm and took hold, far more tightly than necessary, and tugged her from the room. Once outside the door, which contracted following their departure, Kenny gestured that she move before him and he moved his hand to her shoulder. His grip was tight here as well, and he directed her through a maze of winding corridors and several transporters until, finally, they stopped in front of a cell.

"This is only temporary," the Wraith Second assured her as he shoved her inside, but his voice did nothing in the way of reassurance. The webbed gates of the containment cell closed behind Kenny as he left her there, disappearing from her sight just moments later.


	4. Liberation

The Hive breathed differently on the lower decks. Here the sounds were louder, more menacing, and Jennifer's nerves had been on edge since Kenny's departure. In the distance she could hear the unified steps of Wraith Drones as they patrolled the ship. Every so often a set of Wraith scientists would pass through and steal a glance her way. Once or twice they had even stopped to hiss at her and reach their feeding hands through the webs, their intent obvious but a simple bluff intended to frighten her. She had no idea how much time had passed, and she had not slept much. What little sleep she had managed had been quite fitful and fraught with nightmares.

Noise before the cell doors lurched her from her place on the floor and she bolted upright just in time to see Todd standing in the opening. Her heart rate slowed immediately.

"Oh thank God," she gasped, and righted herself. "What the hell were you thinking, throwing me in here like this? Do you know how many times I thought I was going to turn up a pile of mummified skin and bones? And it _smells_ horribly in these cells, did you know that? I'm surprised I didn't throw up! Oh, and have I mentioned that no one bothered to bring anything _edible _this whole time? How long was I even down here anyway?"

Todd sighed as her tongue let loose, but he had expected something of the sort. He waited patiently for her to finish and then held out a small fruit she didn't recognize. Irate, she slapped it from his hand and crossed her arms over her chest.

"You think you can win me over just like that Todd? I thought you were smarter than that."

His eyes darkening, he issued a warning growl that instantly silenced the woman.

"If you would be so kind as to accompany me back to the upper decks, I will explain the reasons behind your _temporary_ detention upon our return." His voice could not conceal the extra hint of fatigue from Jennifer's sharp observational skills. Her stance softened, a part of her wondering what was behind his weariness. She could not recall a time when she had seen him so. With a simple nod, Jennifer exhaled and then walked forward as his arm fell to hover in its usual guiding position at her back. Although he did not touch her, she could feel the heat emanating from the limb. It was closer to her this time, but not to the point of causing her any anxiety. She was still flustered and annoyed by his inexplicable behavior, and the long walk to the upper decks did nothing to quell her annoyance, but Todd, true to his word, began to explain the moment they entered the lab. He gestured to one of the chairs, but she obstinately refused to sit. Sighing, he clasped his hands behind his back and began to speak.

"The cell you were placed in was a part of our quarantine section, Doctor Kell-err, and I needed you there for the purpose of furthering our research. It contains a monitoring station built into the surrounding structure which recorded your body's physio-chemical state as you remained without food or water for two days. To ensure the data I was collecting would be accurate, I couldn't tell you about this in advance. Your brain might not have reacted the same way had you known why you were there." He steepled his clawed fingertips against the lab table now, arms spread wide, leaning his weight upon them as he studied her. "I _am_ sorry, Doctor Kell-err, but as you are the only human currently aboard my ship, and your system was not completely flooded with the adrenaline oft left behind in the wake of a culling, I needed your readings."

The Doctor stared at him.

"So, what was your control?"

"Your quarters contain a similar monitoring device. I simply activated it upon completion of your evening meals to obtain my control readings. I also monitored one of my own Wraith as a means of determining their chemical state during fasting. Now that the fasting is complete, we can compare the findings and search for any deviations between them."

Violated, Jennifer clenched her teeth before she could say something stupid. As much as she hated to admit it, Todd was right to have created this experiment. It was worth investigating.

"Why couldn't you have just monitored me from my quarters while I 'fasted like you did when I was eating normally?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"The comfort factor could have negatively influenced the results."

"I'm pretty damn certain the imprisonment factor could have negatively influenced them as well, Todd. Your experiment is flawed and would never be accepted back on Atlantis."

The commander snarled and slammed a fist down onto the lab table now, making Jennifer jump at the rush of metallic sounds. When he righted himself, a large dent was present beneath his hand. Sharp teeth visible, he challenged her with a tilted head and gleaming yellow eyes.

"We are not on Atlantis, Doctor Kell-err," he whispered menacingly, and then sneered. "In fact, I'm not sure you have even come to accept that fact as of yet. Perhaps you need some time alone with your thoughts. I will escort you back to the lower decks, if you so wish it."

Jennifer's stomach knotted, but she knew better than to back off just yet. Hadn't Todd himself demanded she demonstrate resolve in front of his kind?

"It's a small wonder your species is doomed to extinction without our help," she snapped, and something in Todd seemed to do much the same. He launched at her, grabbing her by the throat and slamming her against the wall.

"_Your_ _kind_ is the very reason we are both in this situation!" he bellowed, holding her off the ground by her neck. Her hands wrapped around his in a desperate attempt to free herself as her supply of oxygen dwindled. "Had your _John Sheppard_ not been so hasty in killing our Keeper, _perhaps_ we would not have left our hibernation in such vast numbers and at the same time!" His voice lowered now, and he released her, breathing heavily as he watched her collapse to the floor. "Our hibernation _is_ our survival mechanism when there is not enough food to sustain us all, and _your kind_ are the ones who woke us before our time. Consider that before patting yourself on the back for all of your 'help.'"

Rubbing her neck and swallowing as her eyes burned into the Wraith's, Jennifer was overcome by the urge to continue this aggressive debate. There were _so_ many things wrong with his logic, and the way he twisted events around in his head and spit them back at her. She wanted to grab him, shake his shoulders and shout at him, to make him see sense, but she knew it would be a futile attempt. The Wraith were very proud creatures, among their many other qualities and, much like she didn't dare insult Rodney's knowledge of things she did not know, she would go no further toward insulting Todd. What he wanted to believe was entirely up to him. Jennifer was just glad to still be alive. She watched as the commander spun on his heel and swiped his hand in front of her nearby doorway, silently demanding that she return to her quarters and, as far as he was concerned, cease to exist.

* * *

When Todd swiped the door of her quarters open the following morning, the doctor was still asleep. Evidently the events of the past few days had taxed her energy levels more than he'd anticipated, and he made a mental note to include that fact in the database he was creating. The Wraith's body moved slowly into the room with the silence of an owl in flight, his complete attention directed at the woman in the bed. In all his years in control of human lives, he had never witnessed one _actually_ sleeping in a natural state. Whatever sleep sessions he had witnessed were short and fragmented by the possibility of the human's impending demise. This time, however, there was no impending doom, and the human was in a real bed, alone, in quarters she had (at least, as far as Todd could tell), grown comfortable in.

Her breathing was shallow and more rapid than he would have expected, and for a moment he thought she was only feigning sleep. When he rounded the bed and was able to better observe her, however, he realized her breathing patterns were the result of the substantial swelling of her throat and neck.

A flash of regret stirred in his mind, for he was the one whom had created those marks. He had lost his temper with the woman, and although he felt his reaction was justified, he had forgotten the overall frailty of the Atlantean's structure. His lack of restraint could easily have killed her. This fact disturbed him far more than he had anticipated, and he clentched his feeding hand absently. Standing just a stride from her bedside now, the Wraith pondered how to best wake her. Should he poke her, as the Wraith younglings so often did to their peers? Or perhaps he should simply speak to her and hope his voice was loud enough. He recalled at least once having witnessed one human pouring water over the body of another, but as the doctor was not unconscious in the same manner, he decided against this option. He cleared his throat.

Jennifer shot upright in the bed, startling the Wraith before her and leaving him wide-eyed.

She said nothing, but pulled the blankets tighter around her as would a child, concealing the marks on her neck and staring straight at him, impossibly tense.

"You...sleep lightly..." the commander issued, sounding uncertain of himself.

Keller remained silent, her eyes never leaving him. Todd sighed.

"I believe I owe you an apology," he continued now, clasping his hands in front of his waist and beginning to pace before her. "My actions were rash and my inability to place merit in your evaluation _most_ reprehensible. We are here to learn from one another, and I had forgotten such." He bowed his head and closed his eyes for a moment, and Jennifer was suddenly reminded of the way the Jaffa Teal'c expressed his own emotions during their brief encounter on Atlantis. She lowered the blankets some, although she retained good coverage of her only partially clothed physique, and forced herself to speak.

"I thought you were going to kill me," she said quietly, her voice hoarse.

Todd looked up at her now, understanding written in the depths of the yellow.

"I have told you before, Doctor Kell-err, if I wanted you dead, it would already be so."

"You'll have to forgive me if I don't believe you anymore. If I ever even did believe it."

"Our research is more important than my need to feed. I do not need _you_ to sustain myself. Any human will do." The starburst tattoo over his eye twitched, and Jennifer realized he was offering forth a small, if not cruel, bit of 'Wraith humor.' She sighed, her fear diminishing while irritation took its place. Their eyes connected.

"Why are you in here?" she demanded finally. Todd looked suddenly and inexplicably uncomfortable, but he answered nonetheless.

"I was...concerned...when you did not awaken at your usual hour. I thought that perhaps..." For a moment he trailed off, his eyes skimming the floor back and forth as he searched for the words. "I was concerned that I had damaged you beyond repair." He looked up again, his mouth set in a stern line, betraying nothing of whatever emotions he was attempting to describe.

This, Jennifer was not prepared for. True, he had already apologized, but this time it was different. This time he had admitted to entering her quarters specifically for the purpose of checking in on her. Not that he didn't do so every evening before he himself slept, but this was done out of what appeared to be genuine concern. She decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and say no more on the subject.

"I have to get dressed," Jennifer stated, calmly now, but when the alien didn't move, she had to rephrase her sentence. "Most human cultures dictate that it is inappropriate for a stranger to be in the same room as another person while they are dressing or undressing themselves, Todd." Her eyebrows raised, waiting for him to understand. Finally grasping the reference to her dignity, he bowed his head and took a step backward.

"My apologies, Doctor."

He nodded now, as if reassuring himself that he had done the right thing, and finally disappeared through the doorway.


	5. Complications

"Have you found anything of value yet, Commander?"

Todd had sensed Bonewhite's presence several minutes before he arrived in his line of sight, and by the time he did, he had already pivoted to face the entryway where the Second stood. He moved his hands behind his back and slowly paced around the bridge, deliberating on how much to tell his subordinate of the data surrounding the human and Wraith fasting experiment.

"Every piece of insight has value, Bonewhite," Todd said slowly, fixing his eyes on his underling with an odd sense of suspicion. "Whether these insights have merit for the greater good to the Wraith remains to be seen. But, I must make an additional request, as I am missing what could be a rather important bit of intelligence." He waited for his second-in-command to express the interest he knew he possessed. Bonewhite, although substantially younger than Todd at only a few hundred years old, had a thirst for knowledge unlike anything Todd had ever seen before. It should have deterred the Wraith commander from naming Bonewhite to such a high-profile position as his Second, but his faith in the young scientist was unflinching. Bonewhite wanted power, yes, but to gain power, he first needed the knowledge of how to do so. As Todd was among the most powerful of the Wraith fleet commanders, Bonewhite understood the need to serve—and learn—from him.

"What is it that you need, Commander?" Bonewhite asked, his stance broadening.

"I need a sample of the human female's blood."

His Second seemed confused.

"Her blood, sir?"

Todd's patience that day was thin.

"If you do not wish to appease me, I will find someone else that is up to the task."

Bonewhite quickly turned to leave, but halted in his tracks when his commander sent out an additional order.

"She must be calm when it is collected, Bonewhite. Epinephrine will cloud the results, so do make certain not to frighten the little lady."

His Second nodded without facing him, and left the room.

* * *

Jennifer's eyes scanned furiously through the Wraith glyphs on the screen, straining to make sense of them. Rodney's translation patch had long since failed to be useful. She sat back heavily against the chair, frustrated at her lack of progress.

Todd had yet to provide her with the results of his little experiment, a fact at which she was quite bitter. She'd taken part it in, and hadn't reaped any of the benefits.

Abruptly, she felt a presence nearby, and when she turned her head, Kenny stood there, silent and looking quite formidable. She sucked in a breath and stood upright more quickly than she thought possible, whirling around and placing the heels of her palms on the table behind her. Their eyes connected, and there was a tense moment during which she thought he was there to take her back to the cell...or worse. Finally, he dipped his head in greeting, but it was faster and less polite than Todd's manner of doing so.

"I have come to request your help with one final piece of the...puzzle...so to speak."

Kenny's eyes, although they bore the same yellow hue and slitted pupils of Todd's, sent a chill through the woman before him. There was something dark within them, a sense of nefarious superiority more deep-seated than that of his commander. Still, she seriously doubted Kenny was there of his own accord. He seemed more content to avoid her than waste his time hunting her down. Todd must have something to do with this.

"And what might that piece be?" Jennifer inquired skeptically, removing her weight from the table and trying to make herself seem taller.

Kenny said nothing, but merely held out an empty syringe. The doctor studied him closely, noting his stance and whether he seemed at all anxious. He didn't. In fact, he seemed quite bored, and so she gave a nod to acquiesce, and the Wraith Second was beside her in two great sweeping steps. He took her arm in his feeding hand and slid her sleeve upward to reveal her skin and veins, the motion surprisingly gentle. Jennifer focused on the only interesting thing in the room at the time to distract herself from the pinch as he inserted the needle into the crook of her elbow—Kenny himself. He was taller than Todd by several inches, but he was far more lithe than the commander. Every move he made was calm and collected and smooth, contrary to Todd's more...frustrated...way of handling himself. While he too could be cool and restrained, Jennifer sensed that in Kenny the behavior was inborn rather than engrained by the societal norms.

"You tolerate him remarkably well," Kenny said abruptly as he withdrew the needle and placed it in a small container. "I must admit I thought you weak when we were first introduced, but I see now that I was mistaken."

Surprised, the woman raised and then knitted her brows.

"Weak in what way?" she asked, genuinely curious. It was refreshing to speak to someone other than Todd, for once, and to be given a compliment from a Wraith was...empowering.

Kenny blew out sharply through his nose as he gave a faint sneer.

"Being taken from your home by the enemy...losing your loved ones...knowing that your chances of ever returning to human companionship are infinitesimal...I had anticipated your emotional health would have fully disintegrated by now. It must be..._difficult_. Your...buoyancy...is admirable, in its own way. I was not aware humans could possess such strength of character."

When his acquaintance said nothing, the Second cleared his throat and excused himself. Just before he reached the doorway, he stopped at Jennifer's voice.

"You speak as though you have experience in this area," she called. "Do Wraith have family ties within the Hives? Wives? Children?"

Kenny studied her for a long moment, deliberating with himself on his answer.

"It is hardly permissible to create ties while at war, Doctor Keller."

"Unless they prove advantageous to a common goal, of course," the woman quipped.

"Advantageous or not, such attachments are a weakness my kind cannot afford." He turned now, taking a few slow steps toward her with the intent to cause her fear. "You should be more careful to whom you _attach_ yourself, Doctor. Our common goals are only temporary, and you are the last of the Atlanteans. _He_ can't protect you forever."

Evidently finished with their discussion, Kenny grunted and strode through the door as it retracted for him, leaving Jennifer, rather confused, in his wake. She was surprised to find that her heart was pounding in her chest—the conversation with Todd's Second had affected her more negatively than she'd thought.

A long exhale came from her lungs and she moved to the bookshelf, seeking the second volume of the Wraith translation guide Todd had provided to her when she'd first arrived. The volume was almost as difficult to understand as the glyphs on the laptop, but the simple sentence structure and lack of linear motion made it easier to work through. After a few minutes it became obvious that her attention was lax and her mind was swimming with questions left behind after Kenny's departure. She didn't know whether his words bespoke personal experiences of his own, or if they were a warning to her and nothing more. Her fingers pressed to her temples and began to move in circles in an attempt to relieve her sudden headache.

Being cooped up in the same room day after day was starting to grate on her. She desperately needed a change of scenery. Without Todd present to help her with the translations, the doctor could only research so much. Her mind needed clearing, and time to reenergize, but she couldn't find that in the lab.

Todd had warned her not to wander the ship unescorted, but he had given her no way of contacting an escort should she need one. Unwilling to risk her life, she took to simply pacing the lab and dining area with slow, meandering steps. Her thoughts fluctuated from the data Todd hadn't yet shared with her, to her research, and to her conversation with Kenny.

* * *

The Wraith scientist stared at the data on the screen before him, and then at the slide containing the good doctor's blood cells. Impossible.

"What is it Commander?" Bonewhite asked from the other side of the bridge, his attention piqued by his leader's uncharacteristic interest in whatever discovery he had made.

"You are dismissed!" he snapped, breathing hard, his white locks fanning out as he spun his head quickly to see that Bonewhite did as he was told. When the room was empty, Todd's fist slammed down upon the metal table, making the slide and the scanner jump. The results of the human's blood test were devastating. None of the data he had collected from her in her time on the cell could be utilized. Doctor Keller was not fully _human_. Wraith DNA flowed through her veins.

_Millennia_ later, that imbecile excuse for a Wraith was _still_ causing problems!

The honey-blonde doctor was Wraithkin.

* * *

**Author's Note: **So, what do you guys think? This IS going somewhere, I promise! It's been a long time since I've written a fanfic, but reviews are always welcomed and appreciated!


	6. Hospitalities

**A/N: **Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far, I really appreciate it! Keep in mind that this fic is set in an alternate universe, so there will be inconsistencies between the events of the TV show and this story. I am trying to tie everything together while keeping it close to the original plotline, but nothing will be exact. The Wraith names will bounce back and forth between human-given and their actual names based on the situation (i.e. if there are humans besides Jennifer around, human-given names will appear, etc.). Again, thanks for the input, and I hope this chapter helps move some things along with a little bit of fluff!

* * *

The Wraith slipped silently through the door to the upper decks, his mind spinning. Obviously the doctor had not been entirely truthful with him. In a way, he knew he couldn't actually _expect_ her to be honest with him, in spite of the fragile peace that had developed between them. He knew that she had come to the Pegasus galaxy for the Atlantis expedition via stargate, meaning she could not have been a true descendant of the human experiments. He also highly doubted that the Atlanteans could have developed an artificial version of the gene in such a short span of time. The original Wraith lab used for the initial experimentation had been destroyed, as had been the planets' stargate. The only other way she could have contracted such DNA would be by injection directly to the bloodstream, or...his mind quickly shut out the possibility, and he shook his head. No, the human female was far too frightened of the Wraith to have engaged in _that_ sort of behavior. Still, how had he not detected the presence of Wraith blood in her veins? It was bizarre.

He paced slowly back and forth in the study, glancing over at the lab table now and again and found himself wondering where she was. The hour was still early, and the fact that she was not buried in a book as he usually found her, struck an unfamiliar nerve within him. Frowning, he abandoned his thoughts on the science of her condition to seek her out. Although he knew she could not enter her private quarters without his presence to open the door, Todd checked for her there anyway. When he found it empty, he was surprised to feel a nervous tension take hold of him. He rounded one organic wall to the dining area, his throat tightening when he saw that it, too was devoid of any occupants.

He detected Bonewhite's presence approaching, and he turned to the door just in time to see it retract. Doctor Keller preceded his second-in-command through the entryway. When her eyes met the yellow eyes of the commander, she froze.

"What's wrong?" she asked quickly, rubbing her upper arm with one hand. Kenny stood beside her, studying the pair of them.

"Leave us," Todd snapped at Bonewhite, and he dipped his head before exiting the room. When he was gone, the Wraith rounded on Jennifer.

"I warned you not to wander the Hive, Doctor Kell-err, and yet you defied me."

Swiftly, she shook her head.

"You said not to wander the ship without an _escort_," she corrected. "Kenny was more than up to the task."

Blinking at her use of Bonewhite's human-given name, Todd only sighed. She had him. She was correct, and 'Kenny' had been an excellent choice to escort her.

"Regardless, this Hive is not safe for you. My command of this ship does not guarantee your safety, and I prefer to have you alive and fully functional for our research. I must ask that you refrain from wandering the Hive, _period_, from this point on, unless I am with you." His stern gaze fell on her strained expression, and his demeanor changed. "What is wrong?"

Jennifer shook her head again, her eyes falling to the ground.

"It's not important. Can you let me into my quarters, please?"

"You have not yet had your evening meal," Todd protested.

"I will survive one night without food."

"It's a shame you did not follow the same way of thinking whilst you were in my quarantine cell." A smirk threatened to spill onto his features as the doctor scoffed and moved to stand by the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest. She wasn't pouting, as he had expected, but instead she seemed quite tired and subdued. His smirk faded into nonexistance and he approached her. When he stood in front of her, he reached over her shoulder to the panel beside the door.

Jennifer shuddered at the heat emanating from his body as he invaded her space with the motion, but she found for the first time, her body was not reacting in the fight-or-flight manner it had preferred to utilize in past days. Perhaps she was finally coming to believe Todd's promises not to harm her, or perhaps she was just too tired to care.

"Say something," came the Wraith's hoarse voice.

"Does it matter what I say?" she asked in response, and a soft tone came from the panel. She looked up at Todd, who looked slightly less troubled now than he had when she first entered the room with Kenny.

"You no longer need me here to open this door, Doctor Kell-err," he told her. "Simply speak a few words and it will do so at your bidding."

Surprised that he would offer this hospitality to her, Jennifer couldn't help but smile.

"Thank you."

With that, she disappeared into the room, and he watched as the door contracted behind her and concealed her from his view.

* * *

Soft footsteps padded across the spongey floor of the upper deck and drew the Wraith commander's attention from inside his own quarters. It was late, and he was unaccustomed to the fact that his human companion could now wander the deck so freely. After a moment the footsteps ceased, and Todd left his quarters to investigate. He noticed that the laptop was gone from the lab table, and his curiosity peaked. Silently, he made his way through the series of doors leading to the doctor's residence, and when he reached the door, he pressed his hand against the console. As he was the ship's commander, the door retracted, and he stepped into the dimly-lit room.

The woman was seated on the small couch by the window, the computer beside her. She wasn't looking at the screen, but instead out into the glory of space and down upon the glittering Hive ship that had become her second home. She had yet to sense Todd's presence in the room, and as he moved closer to where she sat, he took notice of the screen. There were photos of several Atlanteans he recognized flashing slowly across the monitor. Startling her as he did so, the commander took a seat at the other end of the couch and folded his hands upon his knees, looking out the window as she did.

"I'm sorry if I woke you," Jennifer said softly, looking at the floor now. "I know I'm not as quiet as the Wraith when I'm walking around." Todd noted the difference in her voice as she spoke to him now. There was a sadness there he tried hard to ignore.

"You did not wake me."

"I just needed to see their faces again," she admitted, gesturing to the computer.

"You are right to be troubled by the recent events, Doctor. There is no harm in revisiting them in your memories." He looked at her now, and saw strange trails of liquid moving down her cheekbones, originating at her eyes. He recalled other humans referring to these trails as "tears," but Todd had always assumed they were a result of fear, not sorrow. The correlation between biology and emotion in humans was not something he had take the time to study in-depth, but he made a mental note to do so once the serum was perfected. When she moved her head, the light of the stars reflected off the tears leaking down her face, and the Wraith was overcome by the urge to wipe them away. His feeding hand twitched and lifted several inches, but she spoke before he had the chance to complete his task.

"John, Rodney, Ronan and Teyla were off-world when the Replicators attacked Atlantis. They could still be out there, trying to get home. If they have somehow learned of Atlantis' fate, they probably assume I was killed with the rest." Her voice quaked. "Rodney and I...we were just starting to become comfortable with one another...I thought that maybe I had finally found someone I could give myself to without feeling like I was losing a part of myself in the process. I guess it just wasn't meant to be." She gave a bitter laugh and wiped the tears from her own face and looked at Todd. "You don't have to sit here and listen to me. I know you don't really care, and I don't expect you to. I just...I had a conversation with Kenny earlier that made me realize how much I miss them all."

A flash of guilt swept through Todd as he remembered the cruel remark he had made to her about the loss of Atlantis not long ago. Human bonds were much stronger than he'd believed, and the loss of such bonds were striking the doctor quite hard. He sensed more distress in her now than he had at any other point in their time together, and found he was strangely bothered by the knowledge he could do nothing to put an end to it.

"Perhaps," he began softly, still sitting beside her, "once the serum is complete and has proven successful, and there is less threat of war between our kinds...perhaps then I could assist you in finding John Sheppard and his team."

"You and I both know that is never going to happen, Todd."

"What makes you so sure?"

"You don't have the resources."

"There is much to be done, yes, but if this gene theraphy is effective, those resources may very well become freely available." His eyes settled on hers in the dim lighting, and she thought they seemed somehow softer than was typical. The pupils were dilated and the muscles around the eyes relaxed. For a moment, she thought the Wraith looked almost handsome. "You should rest," he declared after clearing his throat once. "No doubt your journey 'round the Hive with Bonewhite has caused you some fatigue."

"Bonewhite?"

Todd let out a small chuckle.

"My Second's Wraith-born name. Contrary to common belief among the Atlanteans, we _do_ possess monikers of our own."

Her interest piqued, Jennifer raised her eyebrows at him.

"What's yours then?"

Todd considered her for a moment, and then answered.

"Guide."

"A name well-suited," she murmured. "I'm Jennifer."

Guide tested the demonination.

"Jenn-i-ferr..." he purred, and a shiver ran through the woman next to him. He felt the motion, and a similar shudder passed through his own body, although he concealed it more easily. It was a beautiful name, and he said it a few more times, experimenting with it until he managed to get the proper number of syllables and make them sound correct. "Jenni-fer Kell-err..." Her frail body quaked again. Yellow eyes settled on brown, sensing there was an alternative reason for her shivers than discomfort alone, and he offered a small smile. "Do I make you nervous Jennifer?"

"You're Wraith," she snapped back quickly. "Of _course_ you make me nervous!"

He laughed aloud now, deep and throaty and hoarse, and then stood up. Politely, he offered her his hand to pull her to her feet. Staring at the feeding hand as it hovered, palm up, before her, Jennifer steeled herself. She slipped her palm into Guide's and felt him close his fingertips around her. Effortlessly, he tugged her upright. For a long moment they stood there by the window, questions brimming in both minds. As Guide let his eyes slip away from hers, the same tension he had felt earlier upon realizing Jennifer was gone snaked its way back into his system. It unnerved him, but he knew it would pass in time. He could sense the disquiet she felt as he held fast to her hand, but detected a hint of something else beneath the surface of her discomfort.

"Fear not," he purred, leaning close to her ear and grinning to expose his sharp teeth as he did so. The commander released her, stretching his fingers and watching her closely as she did the same. She seemed to be locked in a sense of disbelief as she turned her hand over and examined it. After a moment she looked back up at him, realizing just how close he was. His breath shifted a few strands of her hair against her cheekbone, making her want to flee, but her body, obstinate, seemed frozen in place.

Finally, the commander straightened and took on his trademark hands-behind-back stance.

"Rest," he instructed, his voice low. "There is something we need to discuss, come morning."

Although she wanted to know what he meant, she really _was_ tired. Guide held out an arm and ushered her forward, although he didn't touch her again. He left her by the bed and offered a faint inclination of his head before disappearing again through the doorway.

Jennifer, her mind reeling at the recent events, stared at the closed door for several seconds before finally relenting to sleep.


	7. The Hunt

"Have you considered my suggestion that we test Wraith feeding capabilities on something other than a human?" Jennifer asked the following morning while they sat across from one another at the small dining table. Guide was not eating, of course, but his presence there had become so regular that Jennifer no longer felt awkward being the only one to eat. It seemed an appropriate time to bring up their earlier conversation, regardless of how poorly it had gone before.

Guide issued a small grunt and tilted his head, obviously uncomfortable.

"It...is an option worth pursuing," he relented finally, though he frowned as he said it. "But we must take care to select a proper substitute. After our discussion, I spent some time researching on my own, and it would seem that my kind has dabbled in this area before. I cannot fathom _why_, since we have always been the dominant race and had no reason to consider non-human options before now..." He noticed that Jennifer had stopped eating, and got his words back on track. "I found that certain species of..._animals_...as you call them, have evolved natural defenses against the Wraith feeding enzyme. Some have even the capability to poison their attackers."

"So you'll need to find a Wraith willing to feed and potentially die for the cause."

"Why don't we focus on testing the life form in question prior to asking one of my crew to feed upon it." His eyes darkened. Humans had a way of asking Wraith to sacrifice themselves far more often than Guide would have preferred. "Unless, of course, you would like to volunteer your _own_ services, Jennifer."

Confused, the woman cocked her head to one side.

"I'm not sure what you mean..."

"I must admit, your ability to conceal the truth from me is admirable, but you have wasted much of my time in doing so. Your blood sample told me everything I needed to know." Guide's stare was intense as they faced one another across the table.

"Please, explain," Jennifer asked quietly, genuinely curious.

"I'm still uncertain as to how your condition slipped past me, but I surmise it has something to do with interference from the Atlantean gene therapy. It is the only explanation short of some..._involvement_...with a Wraith, and I strongly assume you took on no such role."

Frustrated by his lack of clarity, Jennifer clanged the utensil in her hand onto the plate.

"What the hell are you talking about? What _condition_?"

"The fact that you are Wraithkin, Doctor Kell-err. To what else could I be referring?" The Wraith commander retrieved a piece of fruit from her plate and toyed with it absently.

"Me? Wraithkin? You mean like Teyla?"

Guide nodded.

"I'm not even from this _galaxy_, how can I have Wraith DNA?" Jennifer's incredulousness was palpable, and for a moment Guide thought she was genuine.

"I wondered much the same, Doctor. Do tell, please."

Jennifer had no response. There was no plausible way she could be Wraithkin, but she doubted Guide would waste time making up such a story. She pushed her chair back and stood up from the table, her companion following suit.

"I have no symptoms of such a condition," the doctor declared finally, beginning to pace. "I have no visions, no extra-sensory perception of approaching Wraith, I cannot possess the mind of a Wraith..." Trailing off, she stopped and looked at him, her eyes lighting up. "You healed me. Guide, that _has_ to be it."

He shook his head.

"Wraith pass on their genetics much as humans do. They cannot be transmitted by something so insignificant as the healing process."

"Then how did this happen to me?"

Sensing her concern, Guide tried to calm her.

"You will notice no ill-effects of the gene, Doctor Kell-err," he said coolly, walking around the table to stand a few feet in front of her. "This obviously occurred some time ago, perhaps even years ago, and as far as I can see, you are still alive and well."

Jennifer blew out a breath and felt some of the tension leave her body at his words.

"I suppose you're right," she admitted finally. "Figuring out how this happened is not our top priority right now." Guide looked at her and smiled.

"It's time to go hunting."

* * *

Propelled through the stargate at impossible speed, Jennifer's body tumbled down the stone steps and she landed with a hefty _thud _on top of her supply bag. Guide was standing a few feet away, watching her with what might have been amusement, along with Bonewhite and two Drones. None of them made any move to help her up, a fact for which she was actually grateful. She brushed the dirt off her ragged uniform and hoisted the bag onto her back.

"Kind of you to drop in, Doctor," Guide mocked from where he stood, and Jennifer shot him a death glare. "Please try to be more cautious with your footing from here on out." He held out an arm and gestured that she approach and walk beside him. Bonewhite took up the rear while the two Drones flanked them, their weapons sweeping strategically from one area to the next.

Every so often Guide would look down at his stolen (and slightly modified) life-signs detector. This planet was home to a number of species, at least one of which was known to be toxic to the Iratus bug. It was this species they intended to capture, and whose toxicity they intended to analyze.

They had been walking for several miles when Guide gave the command to halt. The group was silent as their commander studied the screen on his wrist.

"There is a group of the carnivores not far ahead. Ready your weapons."

Jennifer, of course, had no weapon, but the other members of the group did as they were commanded. The low hum of Wraith tech sent a chill through her body, and she tried to remind herself that she was not the enemy here. Those guns were not pointed at her.

Gradually they made their way to the top of the ridge, Jennifer's footsteps noticeably louder than the others, but they said nothing against it. Her heart stopped when she looked down into the ravine below.

Four enormous black beasts the size of a small horse stood at the base, one of them sipping water from the stream. Each had four legs and a large, cat-like head, and thick, spined scales covered the upper half of their bodies. At the end of their tails was a scorpion-like barb, each of them twitching violently, as though anticipating the threat from above, though they gave no indication they did.

"Move behind me," Guide whispered to Jennifer as he pulled out his stun bars. When she was safely out of range, he slammed the bars together and the characteristic blue light swept out in waves down the ravine. The beasts at the bottom snapped to attention with a series of growls, while the group at the top of the ridge waited for the weapon to hit them. It passed over the creatues—and did nothing.

Guide gave the order to open fire, and the group took off down the ridge. High-pitched screams ripped from the throats of the monsters below, and they bolted for the opposite side of the ravine. Their scales clacked and rattled as they moved, impossibly fast, through the dense treecover. Guide fired his weapon and managed to strike a leg, and another scream tore from the animal as its now useless limb failed to take hold of the ground. It collapsed into a barrel roll back toward the creek behind them, its great body taking out one of the Drones along the way. Pierced through the midsection multiple times by the spines and now attached to the injured animal, the Drone gargled and floundered for just an instant before detaching and lying still against a trunk.

The group leapt over the dead Drone without a second thought and pursued the fallen monstrosity until it came to a stop at the water's edge. Disoriented, it stumbled to three legs and shook its head, wailing in fury when it laid eyes on its attackers.

Bonewhite took another shot at the beast, this time with a sedation bullet. Enraged, the black leviathan plowed through the other Drone in its attempt to get at Bonewhite. Its barbed tail thrashed wildly, striking at anything and everything, and Jennifer heard Bonewhite cry out as the barb slashed against his leg. Another sedation bullet struck the creature in the neck. It staggered again, but did not go down. Guide shouted at Bonewhite to keep firing, and then at Jennifer to pull the chains from her supply bag. She did so, hardly able to lift them without Guide's help, and together they threw the heavy net onto their prey. Under the massive weight, its legs buckled and it crashed to the moist earth.

Its breathing was labored and the wound on its leg bled profusely, but it was alive. Jennifer looked at Guide and raised an eyebrow. The mission had been a success.

* * *

**A/N: So, once again, thank you to all my reviewers! The next few chapters may seem a bit dry and overly fluffy, for which I apologize, but these two need to have some serious talks somewhere around here, right? Or...SOMETHING important needs to happen...what ever shall it be...? Dun dun dun...**


	8. A Silent Admission

"How long until you are able to isolate the toxin Commander?"

Together, Guide and Jennifer looked up to see Bonewhite walking into the room. There was a limp in his walk, but overall he seemed no worse for the wear. Evidently the barb's strike had not been direct enough to release the venom into his system. He was very lucky.

"That remains to be seen," Guide answered, righting himself so that he no longer hung over Jennifer's shoulder as she sat at the lab table. The window of the quarantine lab in the lower deck of the Hive revealed the same black monster they had retrieved, pacing in circles and every so often stopping to stare up at them with raging purple eyes. "Right now we are having difficulties even retrieving a sample of the venom from the creature at all. It appears it can only expend so much before it becomes ineffective. They must have been hunting just prior to our grand entrance."

Bonewhite glanced quickly down at his leg and then back up.

"That explains..."

"Why you're not dead yet? Yeah." Jennifer caught his eye and grinned. "Back on Earth that is what's known as good Karma. Somebody upstairs likes you."

Bonewhite curled his lip and bared his teeth at her, but the gesture was halfhearted.

"Since I am not dead yet," the Second sneered, "I came to warn the Commander that there is a ship of unknown origins approaching our position. What will you have me do?" Guide and his Second's eyes connected, and Jennifer suspected by the length of the contact that they were communicating by Wraith telepathy. Her suspicions were confirmed when Bonewhite nodded and quickly left the quarantine deck. Moments later the Hive shuddered. They were in motion.

"We aren't going to wait around to find out who that was," Guide declared, answering Jennifer's unspoken question. "But I will assure you it was much larger than a puddle jumper."

He watched as Jennifer's body sank back into the chair, and a pang of jealousy swept through him. Frowning, he swiped his hand through the air to pull a cover over the quarantine window, and then turned to the doctor.

"I will accompany you back to the upper decks now. There is something I wish to show you that I think you will find quite enjoyable."

Jennifer did as the scientist asked, and after several minutes of transporters and traveling through the dimly lit corridors, they had arrived back at the upper lab.

"I have been working on this for a few days now, and it is ready for your review."

He led her into the dining area and up to a door she had never seen before. Guide swiped his hand through the air as was typical, and the door retracted. Jennifer stumbled as they walked through the opening and her hand shot to cover her mouth.

Before her was an exact replica of the view from one of the Atlantean towers.

To the right was a small bed adorned in such a way as to replicate those in the Ancient city as well. The bookshelf from her quarters had been moved into this room, and she was astounded to see an additional feature she had not yet had the luxury of experiencing. A large, curvaceous pool of water dominated the western corner of the room, steam rising off its surface and gentle currents making the water lap at the stone edges. Incredulous, she turned to stare at the Wraith behind her.

"You...made this?"

Ever the staunch commander and scientist, Guide inclined his head.

"Your recent admissions regarding the loss of your home troubled me greatly. I do not understand all human emotions, but if there was anything I could do to make your place here more comfortable, I suspected this would be it."

Without thinking, Jennifer threw herself at him and wrapped her arms around the stiff black leather of his abdomen. Guide held his arms out to the side and stared down at her with wide eyes, before finally giving in and mimicking her actions. His arms cautiously encircled her and he found that the sensation of her body pressed against his was strangely invigorating. She pulled away suddenly, embarrassed, and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I'm sorry," she stammered, backing away from him now. "I'm just...overwhelmed...and I forgot myself. It's beautiful, Guide. Thank you."

The Wraith grunted and then cleared his throat.

"If there should come a time when you wish for a change in scenery," he began, "You need only speak your wish into the console by the door. I've adapted the technology to your own language, so it should be able to handle anything you can ask of it."

Jennifer, excited by this prospect, nodded.

"I will leave you to your thoughts now, Doctor Kell-err. I have a few more calculations to run, but I will be just in my private quarters. I will know if you need me."

* * *

_Brown eyes peered up at him from the surface of the bed, intrigued and very much alive. He went to her then, taking up residence at the edge of the mattress and reaching out a finger to trail it down the soft flesh of her jaw and neckline. She sucked in a breath when his sharp claw tugged at the blanket concealing her body from his view. Gripping the blanket more tightly in her hands, Jennifer strained to retain her dignity while the Wraith commander strived to undo it._

_His body overcome with the need to take and dominate the delicate human female before him, Guide's motions became more intense, and he ripped the blanket from her grasp. But the milky white skin he had so longed to see was not there._

_Blood surged from a wound in her chest, coating her body in crimson as her panicked brown eyes locked onto his own and her hand grabbed his wrist._

"_Guide..." she choked, trails of blood now streaming from her eyes and nose. "Guide...help. Help me, Guide..."_

_He watched, horrified, as she paled and slumped back against the bed, her grip on his wrist slackened. The gaping hole in her chest pumped the last bits of blood out in swift, powerful waves while Guide's trembling hands tried uselessly to stop the inevitable. When the bleeding finally ceased, Jennifer Keller was dead._

* * *

Morning found Jennifer in the quarantine lab with Bonewhite, straining to focus on the task at hand. Even with the help of Guide's second-in-command, the doctor had not yet managed to retrieve any of the venom from the animal's barbed tail. It was as if the creature knew what she wanted and was deliberately withholding it. Every time it looked up at her, she saw an ever increasing intelligence in those strangely colored eyes.

"Someone's going to have to go down there and manually collect venom from that thing," Jennifer commented from the desk as she ran through the little data they had already gathered about the black beast. She chanced a look at Bonewhite, who seemed rather entranced by their captive, and quite inattentive to her words. Only when she got to her feet did he finally turn his eyes on her and speak.

"And how exactly do you propose to do that?" the Second asked her, sounding bored. Evidently he _had_ been listening to her.

"Give me that mask and that cylinder," Jennifer commanded, ignoring his question. Bonewhite acquiesced. "Flood the room with the tranq gas. Think you can handle that?" The alien shot her a warning glare, but did as she asked. Within moments the room was screened in a blue mist, and the animal was down in another minute and a half. Once it had cleared, Jennifer slipped the Wraith equivalent to a gas mask over her mouth and nose.

Exiting the lab and taking the ramp to the quarantine room itself, Jennifer steeled herself before walking through the first of two doors into the room. When the second one opened, she could see the creature on the ground, breathing, but seeming thoroughly sedated. The muscles in its shoulders twitched slightly, but it was nothing out of the ordinary, and so she continued on. It was unlikely any of the Wraith would volunteer for the task—although they did not often have to fear the concept of death, those that _did _fear it never seemed to handle it well. At least she had an inkling of understanding of the creature's habits based on her recent observations from the lab, and she was used to the idea of dying, however unwanted.

She approached the barbed tail and knelt down beside it, reaching out to press the tip into the end of the cylinder, much like the fangs of a snake into a cup.

It happened too fast for her to anticipate.

A thousand pounds or more of furious muscle suddenly launched at her, knocking her away from the barb, spine-scales prickled and rattling. Its eyes bored into hers, and she knew in an instant this had been a setup. The animal was immune to the gas, and had taken the chance to attack and make a break for freedom.

Enormous claws ripped into Jennifer's Atlantean uniform, shredding it. The barbed tail struck once, twice, _three_ times into her abdomen, puncturing a lung on the second try and shattering a rib on the third. Panicked and bleeding, Jennifer's hand shot out in a futile attempt to defend herself. The cylinder filled with venom flew from her grasp. The monster's jaws gaped open above her and it hissed like a serpent, tongue thrashing through the massive canines.

Gunfire from above her was a strangely welcome sound. All at once the beast was gone from her sight, the pained screeches of an animal shot ringing in her ears. Someone dragged her from the room, but the choking agony overwhelmed her before she could see who it was. She looked down at her abdomen and saw thick streams of red swelling from her wounds with every beat of her heart. Within seconds, the world around her went black.


	9. Waiting

Guide stared down at the motionless woman on the bed, his eyes following the thick red tentacles that had attached themselves to various points on her body. They were meant to help her, he knew, but it didn't change the fact that his abdomen twinged at the sight. Rarely did the Wraith have to "plug in," so to speak, and when they did, it was almost always with a poor prognosis. He tried not to think about the fact that the human body was much more fragile than the Wraith, and how much more severe Jennifer's condition actually was. The two Wraith medical assistants strode back and forth between various consoles in the room, attentive to even the slightest change in their human patient. Guide knew that they were not happy with their charge, but they respected their commander and would do as he asked without question.

Bonewhite had been the one to subdue the captive and pull Jennifer from the quarantine room, but Guide's anger with him surpassed his appreciation. His Second stood a short distance away from him, looking solemnly at the unconscious human just as Guide did. Finally, the commander spoke. His tone was low, stiff, and left no room for interpretation.

"If she does not survive, Bonewhite, I will not be able to forgive your incompetance. I did not expect such inaqequacy when I entrusted her to your care."

"It will not happen again, Commander," Bonewhite answered, looking at the ground now.

Guide turned to him.

"No, it won't. If she dies, you will suffer in the same way. You are dismissed."

The Second vanished from the room without another word, leaving Guide to his thoughts. He couldn't help but wonder at the nightmare he'd had mere hours before this attack. Had someone been trying to warn him? If they had, and she did not survive, he would never forgive himself. If only he had been there in the quarantine lab to deny her suicide mission to retrieve the venom. If only he had tested the tranquilizer gas beforehand. If only...Guide squeezed the fingers of his feeding hand closed. If only he had fed recently...he might have been able to heal her himself!

"My Lord?" came the voice of one of the medical assistants. The Wraith commander looked at the assistant with stern eyes. "Her condition is deteriorating quickly. If we do not wake her soon, she may not wake again at all."

Guide considered him for a long moment.

"If we wake her _now_, the excess strain on her body could kill her just as easily." His yellow eyes searched the room, searching for the answer.

"We can stave off the excess strain by paralysing non-vital systems," the other assistant offered, gesturing to a nearby device. "She won't be happy, but it might keep her alive longer."

"_Longer_?" Guide snapped, raising his brows. "This human is vital to my research and as such, you will do whatever it takes to keep her fully alive _and_ fully functional, _permanently_." He scoffed now, shaking his head and started to leave the room, his mind demanding some respite from the day's events. "'Longer.' Unacceptable..." Just before he disappeared through the doorway, he made the call. "Keep her sedated for now. I will return in three hours to see her awake then."

The assistants, frustrated but trusting their commander's instincts, obliged.

* * *

The wait seemed endless, but when the three hours had passed and Guide entered the health ward, the assistants were instantly before him, awaiting his command. He simply nodded, and watched as they worked to inject Jennifer with an artificial adrenaline to wake her. It didn't take much before her eyes were fluttering open and moving slowly around the room. When her eyes befell Guide's, the Wraith approached her. By the way her mouth opened and her throat flexed, she was trying to speak, but no sound came out.

The Wraith's eyes settled on her more evenly now.

"_Don't strain yourself. We can communicate this way. You need only think the words."_

Jennifer's eyes widened when she heard—no, _felt—_Guide's voice in her mind. She tried to project a sentence back at him, but it didn't seem to work.

"_It will take time to perfect this technique, Jennifer. Do you know why you are here, in the health ward? Do you remember?"_

Weakly, the woman shook her head, and then her gaze fell to the red tentacles emerging from her body. Suddenly, panicking, she began to struggle.

Guide threw himself at her, grabbing her by the shoulders and forcing her still.

"_Do not move! Your body has suffered an immense amount of damage and you are lucky to be alive as it is! Lie still, and be calm. The cords will be removed when you are well again."_

The Wraith felt something pressing at the barriers of his mind, but it broke apart before he could make sense of it. Jennifer was trying to communicate, but she needed strength to do so. He watched as she suddenly paled and sank back against the pillow, almost limp. Alarmed, Guide slipped a palm behind her head and held her upright, looking at his assistants for answers.

"What's happening? Do something!"

The first assistant rushed for a console, calling over his shoulder as he scanned it.

"The artery we pinched off to contain the toxin just reopened. It's flooding her system again! There's nothing we can do—we're going to lose her, Commander."

Guide looked between the two assistants, both floundering at their consoles as the monitor attached to Jennifer's neck blared alarm after alarm. He flexed his free hand—his feeding hand—and thought for a moment. Then, releasing her, he whirled around and pinned the second assistant to the wall, plunging his feeding hand onto his fellow Wraith's chest.

The subordinate clutched at his commander's palm, desperately trying to remove it as his life was sucked away. Guide's teeth were bared and his head thrust back at the rush of energy entering his system. Within moments, the second assistant was not but a pile of dried skin and bones. While the first assistant looked on in horror, Guide ripped aside several of the tentacles and plunged his feeding hand against Jennifer's chest instead. He felt his energy levels draining now, as the life he had stolen was passed along to the human female instead. He knew he couldn't heal her completely, but if he could somehow help her sustain herself until the toxin ran its course...

He gasped as the last bit of his expendable energy left him, his knees buckling and his weight falling onto the edge of the bed, where he sat, breathing hard. The alarms on the monitor ceased, and the woman's eyes opened slowly again. They were bloodshot and the pupils dilated. Guide noted the tentacles had begun to retract. In spite of his own weakness, his body straightened and tensed as he studied her. The first assistant, equally tense but for other reasons, watched the scene as it unfolded.

Guide's innards twisted as he felt the soft weight of the injured woman's eyes settle onto his own. His mind swirled in confusion as it rewound over the rash action he had just taken to save the human's life. _Why_ had he done that? What was it about Jennifer that so threw his systems into such quiet chaos and made him contradict every behavior he had once believed to be immutable. He sensed Jennifer attempting to make contact with him again, but it was faint. Guide's feeding hand hovered over the thin sheet covering her body, revealed now that the tentacles were gone, but he didn't dare touch her again. In his weakened state, he feared how his body might react. The commander looked to the first assistant.

"What are her readings?"

Still quite obviously bothered by the events, the first assistant promptly responded.

"She will live." His voice was flat and cold.

Guide nodded and dismissed him. When he looked back to Jennifer, she was fading into an uncomfortable sleep. The Wraith bowed his head and closed his eyes. Exhaling, he stared sharply at his own hand until he finally let it come to rest upon the sheet where it concealed her abdomen. He hissed when he felt his insides twist yet again. This was not the reaction a Wraith commander should have to such contact. Where hunger should have overwhelmed him, he felt not but the wrench of distress. In her sleep, the woman shuddered, and he ripped his hand away.

"Jennifer Kell-err..." he breathed in the faintest of whispers, "What have you done to me?"


	10. Boundaries

When Jennifer awoke, the sight of Atlantea before her helped her relax. The remembered that it was not _really_ Atlantis, but the view was good enough regardless. She saw Guide sitting at a small table he had brought into the room, his eyes pouring over Wraith glyphs she didn't understand. He didn't appear to know she had come to, and a part of her didn't want him to.

She remembered the animal attack in vivid detail—it had been haunting her painful bouts of sleep. Every muscle in her body protested as she tried to sit upright, every bone throbbing at the strain of motion. Her brown eyes squeezed shut in a wince as she sucked in a breath, and when she opened them again, Guide was beside the bed, a small vial of liquid in his hand. He offered it to her, holding it to her lips and tilting her head back with his free hand to help her swallow. She didn't protest. He hadn't killed her yet. At least, not directly.

"This will ease the pain," the commander issued in his raspy voice, and then set the empty vial on the table beside the bed. "Your injuries were substantial, but you will recover. Consider yourself lucky, Doctor Kell-err, that Bonewhite took action when he did. Your decision was asinine, and had I not stepped in, you would most certainly be dead." His hard yellow eyes bore into hers.

Jennifer tried to frown, but the expression was weak.

"Did you get your venom or not?" Her voice was faint and scratchy.

Narrowing his eyes, Guide himself gave a frown.

"At great cost, yes."

His words piqued her interest. What 'great cost' was this he referred to? The words he spoke next seemed to read her mind.

"Thankfully, you are still in the land of the living. _But_ I won't have that over-calculating mind of yours at my disposal again for some time. Your human body still has much to do in the way of repairs. My services can only provide so much help."

Guide rotated now, aiming again for the table, but a feeble tug of his trench coat stopped him. He looked down over his shoulder and saw Jennifer's fingertips clinging to the leather. A strange sort of anger overcame him. He ripped the material away and threw his hands on either side of her shoulders on the bed, bearing down on her.

"This clothing is the most honorable Wraith artifact I possess, Doctor, and you dare to soil it with your human hands?" His hot breath burst from his lungs and Jennifer flinched as it touched the sickly skin of her face. Sharp teeth were bared.

"You didn't have a problem with it when I thanked you for this room..." she murmured, still fatigued, and now slightly tense, which hurt her body even more.

Hissing, Guide slapped the mattress and whirled away, his silvery hair fanning out behind him as he did so. His steps led him to the doorway now, but he held up an arm and leaned against it before he could walk through. From the bed, Jennifer only watched him.

Finally, after several moments, he spoke.

"We will discuss boundaries when you are well again, Doctor Kell-err," the Wraith said sternly. "You would do well in the meantime to mind your tongue—_and_ your touch—and keep your distance from me." Enraged and bitter, Guide stormed from the room.

* * *

Bonewhite paced before the desk in his study, feeding hand clenching and unclenching as his analytical mind ran over the events of the past weeks. Something had definitely changed aboard the Hive since the Replicators had obliterated the Ancient city and Guide had returned. Although he didn't like to question Guide's motives, the Wraith Second couldn't ignore the strange behavior he had witnessed in his commander. He had long suspected that human captivity had affected Guide's mental state, but it wasn't until recently that he'd really given serious merit to the possibility.

The commander claimed to have brought the Atlantean doctor on board because she would assist him in continuing the research they had begun in the city, but the way he was treating her suggested otherwise. Bonewhite's insides churned at the thought of the human female. She was despicable, in spite of her high level of intelligence, and her disregard for Wraith order left him highly irritated more often than not. Now and again he could see flashes of what Guide might see in her himself, but they were few and far between. For the most part, Jennifer Keller just made him want to wring her neck or feed.

An alarm rang out nearby, and Bonewhite sighed. The Hive had reached the next stop in its journey to collect new species to serve as potential food sources, and he was due to return to the bridge. In spite of his annoyance with the doctor, he had to admit she was among the bolder of her kind. Working aside beings inclined to feast upon her could not be an easy task, and he actually felt that her suggestions for this study could work. If the Wraith could expand their abilities to feed upon more than just human beings, it could not only cause an influx of new mutations and abilities to appear in the Wraith, but solidify a truce with the humans themselves. Like it or not, even with their crude technology, the sheer volume of human beings was enough to prove a force to reckon with. At this point in time, he would rather have them with him than against.

Another alarm, and Bonewhite left his thoughts where they lay, heading grudgingly for the ship's bridge. At least he knew the doctor would not be joining them on _this_ quest.

* * *

"We retrieved several new species of quadrupeds from the planet today," Guide spoke matter-of-factly from the seat by the window in Jennifer's updated quarters. "My scientists are classifying them now and attempting to determine whether or not they are poisonous."

Jennifer lowered the book in her hands to her stomach and studied the Wraith who stared out the window into the false image of an evening on the Atlantean ocean. She thought of the time John had recounted the Wraith's words to him after escaping from the Genii, 'if only to see the stars again.' She wondered if he had ever seen the same stars she had from the city.

"How is our first patient doing?" she inquired, her voice still raspy and thin.

As if he thought she might be joking, Guide's head snapped in her direction. When their eyes connected, he let a rare smile slip through his guise.

"Were it not so valuable, it would be long since dead."

"I surmised as much." She lifted the book back upward.

"What are you reading?" Guide had stood up now.

Jennifer sighed, wincing at the ache in her ribs.

"Nothing really. I can't seem to master your language in the way I want to."

"You have only been here a short while. Surely you cannot expect to have mastered such a complex system of written communication as Wraith in such a small span of time." The commander was at her bedside now, looking down upon her. "Perhaps it would be beneficial were I to provide you with a few formal training sessions..." He trailed off now, and then pressed the top of the book until it had been lowered back to her stomach. The weight of the volume made her wince again, and Guide swiftly snatched it away and replaced it with his feeding hand. Jennifer tensed beneath him, looking quickly up into his eyes in an attempt to gauge his intentions.

"What was this discussion of boundaries that you mentioned again?" she managed to snap through her discomfort, bitter. "I might _soil_ your hand as I _soiled_ your clothing."

Calmly, Guide looked away from her and sighed.

"I apologize for my indecent commentary," the alien admitted, almost seeming to hang his head in shame. "Your injuries...disturbed me...and I was not in the right state of mind."

"I thought it was _your_ concern for my well-being that disturbed you, not my injuries."

Guide's feeding hand flexed on her abdomen, his clawed fingertips pressing more firmly through the thin sheet and her layers of clothing.

"Your assumptions are bold, Doctor Kell-err," he warned her, his voice low, but not angry. "But you must understand, I should not be behaving as I have been. As the commander of this Hive, I cannot be seen to put a human's life before the lives of my crew. It will not reflect well. Humans have been like cattle to the Wraith for centuries. They are expendable. The fact that I sacrificed one of my own to save you...it will not be taken lightly. I have already felt the first waves of dissent ripple through the Hive, and I must correct this problem before it snowballs. This is why I wish to place such boundaries between us."

Her heart pounding in her chest as she looked up at him, Jennifer didn't know what to think. On one hand, Guide had finally, albeit indirectly, admitted to her that there was at least _some_ form of intrigue on his part. On the other, he was demanding they avoid furthering the situation and producing additional issues within the ranks. She understood completely, but the sharp knot in her gut told her she was _not_ happy about it.

"You can start by removing your killing hand from my person," she issued coolly.

Acquiescing, his hand withdrew to his side.

"I have told you repeatedly I will not harm you."

"But neither will you protect me from your own kind."

"This Hive is never fully under my control, Doctor Kell-err," Guide rumbled, folding his hands behind his back. "Power changes hands quite regularly in our society. The fact that I have remained in command for so long has little to do with the fact that I am respected and feared, and more to do with the fact that the opportune moment for takeover has not yet risen."

Guide's words frightened Jennifer, but given the nature of their discussion, she knew better than to cling to him for reassurance. In this colony she must stand her ground and hold her head high, or fall. He had told her that on day one. Back when she had been so naïve as to think he might actually someday bring her _home_.

"Your thoughts are scattered," the Wraith commented softly from where he stood, his eyes squinting slightly and his head tilted to one side. Under his keen observation, Jennifer felt herself shudder and sink lower into the bed.

"I miss Rodney," Jennifer blurted out, and then shook her own head in confusion. Guide simply waited for her to elaborate. "He was useless in battle, but he made up for it in other things. He could cook...and he could get us out of almost any doomsday scenario...and he could dance. I miss dancing." She stared down at the bed, somehow ashamed of spilling her thoughts.

Guide felt a strange pang in his abdomen—though it was by no means the first time—at her mention of the quirky little man called McKay. He tried to envision the pair of them standing side by side, but it seemed awkward and ill-advised. Rodney had never seemed the type to win over a female, particularly one like Jennifer, although Guide had never known him as well as he could have. The Wraith shifted uncomfortably as another image appeared in his mind, and he realized that he _had_ in fact witnessed Jennifer and McKay together. Just once, and he had thought nothing of it at the time. It hadn't mattered to him then.

Inwardly, he flinched.

Did it really matter to him _now_?

His yellow eyes settled on Jennifer who was still staring at her feet under the thin blankets. What was it about this human that caused so much conflict in his system? Why couldn't he seem to meld her back into the ranks of all the other humans he had met in his lifetime? What made her stand out to him so greatly? She was beautiful, yes, and he lusted after her, yes, but he had been the victim of lust enough times to understand it generally meant nothing in the grand scheme of things. But with Jennifer, something was different. With her, it was more than that raw animalistic lechery. She harbored an intelligence he had never before witnessed in a human being—even in Rodney McKay himself—but why did this matter? There were hundreds of female Wraith whose intellect was far superior to that of the lowly human's. When she picked up the book again during the awkward silence, he suddenly understood.

It was her spirit.

The very part of her on which his own survival hinged.

The same spirit that drew him to desire her affections also enticed him in a far more sinister way, and it was this friction that threatened to deprave him. Clearing his throat, Guide was rewarded by Jennifer's instant attention once more, and he grasped at the only thing he could think of that did not unnerve him.

"Perhaps, Doctor Kell-err, it is time I not only teach you the language of the Wraith, but our ways and customs as well."

Jennifer looked at him, curious but concerned. She said nothing and let him continue.

"I do not trust my subordinates to forever obey my every command, as you well know. I cannot say if you will ever leave this Hive, because I simply do not know. Should the day ever come where I am relieved of my control while you are still aboard this vessel, you will fare much better if you have already gained the respect and admiration of the crew."

"So...you're saying you're going to teach me how to assimilate?" Jennifer asked, her curiosity piqued. "I thought that's what you were doing by letting me continue my research here?"

Guide shook his head.

"Not entirely, Jenn-i-ferr...there is more to fitting in among my kind than proving your smarts. And, considering your current state, you've done nothing of that sort anyway."

Offended, Jennifer threw the book at him, and then winced as her injured abdomen flexed. Rolling his eyes, Guide took a step closer to the bed now and stared down at her firmly.

"Remove your blanket."

Jennifer didn't question him.

Guide's feeding hand swiftly slipped beneath the fabric of her shirt, the serrated micro-teeth skimming along her skin and leaving goosebumps in their wake. It settled at a point just below her breast and atop the still-healing wounds over her ribs. Their eyes connecting, Guide curved his fingers so that the tips of his claws pressed into her flesh, and she felt the teeth as they did the same. Although she was quite terrified, she didn't move, choosing to trust him.

Within moments, the worst of the pain in her side was gone. He'd healed her again—well, somewhat, anyway. The hand removed itself and returned to the Wraith's side.

"Sleep, Jenn-i-ferr Kell-err," Guide instructed, his voice almost a growl. "Sleep before the pain comes back and prevents it."

Nodding, Jennifer lowered herself in the bed, turned painfully onto her side, and tried to do as he'd ordered.

* * *

**A/N: My summer photography season has started up again so I am on a no-days-off-even-weekends stretch until mid-June. That being said, I'm still attempting to write away, as I have some interesting new ideas for this story. Eventually I'll fix the typos I keep getting from writing at 10-11pm every night...in the meantime, enjoy!**


	11. Awareness

"_We're nearing the planet, Commander," came Bonewhite's voice from the other side of the bridge. Guide looked at him, his eyes narrowed._

"_I was under the impression that we were not due to reach that planet for several days. Of which planet do you speak?"_

"_Atlantea, My Lord. The original home of the Ancient City." Bonewhite looked confused, but Guide knew he himself was the more confused of the two._

"_There is nothing of interest to us there...why have you charted such a course?" He narrowed his yellow eyes, studying his Second with a critical stare, and watching as Bonewhite seemed to shrivel beneath it._

"_The Atlantean female wished to be returned to her home...do you not remember?"_

_Guide felt a faint panic begin in his muscles. He would never have agreed to this. What was left for Jennifer on Atlantea? It was nothing but water and emptiness now. Sure, there were the inhabitants on the mainland, but she did not know them in the same way she knew Guide and his hive. The Atlanteans she had known were long gone._

_From across the bridge, he felt Bonewhite surveying him._

"_Commander...?"_

"_We must continue elsewhere, Bonewhite," Guide ordered. "We cannot return her. She will not survive on her own, and the humans on the mainland...they are primitive, at best."_

_Behind him, he sensed a presence._

"_But I won't be alone, Guide," Jennifer issued from her place in the doorway. When the Wraith looked at her, he saw Rodney McKay standing beside her. The squirrely man wrapped his arm around Jennifer's shoulders and pulled her against him. They looked at one another and smiled. When her brown eyes fell back to the Wraith, she was grinning. "You didn't _really_ think I would stay with you, did you Guide?"_

_He was silent as Jennifer threw her hand over her mouth in a shocked sort of expression that lasted only a few seconds. When she removed it, she was grinning._

"_Oh, my goodness, you _did_!"_

_Rodney kissed her._

_Guide's chest tightened and it was all he could do to stop himself from pulling his gun from its holster and removing Rodney from the picture entirely. He wouldn't do it, though, and everyone in the room knew it. Bewildered though he was by Jennifer's words, he could never do anything to harm her, even emotionally. His eyes met Rodney's and the man grinned, showing off his perfectly white, even, _human_ teeth._

"_Don't worry Guide," Rodney issued, "I'll take good care of her. I'll even make sure you get an invitation to the baby shower."_

_Guide hissed and now it was Bonewhite whose hands stopped him from lunging forward to do away with that sorry excuse for a human male._

_Rodney and Jennifer only laughed, and when Guide looked down at his hands, an iron guard and shackles confined him._

"_It was all part of the plan, Todd," John Sheppard said as he walked into the room. The Atlantean rested his fingers on the trigger of his weapon. "Jennifer here, well, she's a very gifted actress, you see..."_

_Guide looked at Jennifer and when he looked back at John, the man's gun was pointing directly at Guide's forehead._

"_You're coming with us, Todd."_

* * *

A wave of pain overtook Jennifer as she jolted awake, disturbed by something she could not yet identify. From her throat burst forth a cry of agony, and her hand flew to her forehead. Her knees instinctively pulled to her chin, splitting the wounds in her midsection as she continued to scream. In an instant, there was another figure in the room, but it was not the one Jennifer expected. Bonewhite ripped the blankets away from the human and then sliced through her shirt with his claws, revealing her bleeding wounds.

"You stupid, stupid female," he muttered as he clamped his feeding hand around the wounds. "What have you done to yourself?"

Jennifer didn't answer, beginning to cough through her torment and spewing bright red blood onto the Wraith Second's leather clothing. He dragged her from the bed and forced her upright until her legs buckled and she fell to her knees. Crouching down beside her, he looked over his shoulder as Guide entered the room, his expression just as troubled. Bonewhite supported Jennifer's weight as she struggled to breathe, the way he positioned her the only reason she had not yet choked on her own blood. He looked up at Guide as his commander joined him by the Atlantean doctor's side.

"This was an attack," Bonewhite proclaimed, and Guide, his own breathing elevated following the distress of his dream, furrowed his brows.

"How can you be sure?"

Bonewhite, his face stern, gestured to the woman in his arms and said, "Take her."

Acquiescing, Guide pulled Jennifer from Bonewhite's hold and within moments, her body went limp in relief. Visible given her lack of a shirt, the wounds healed almost instantly, and she no longer strained for breath. Uncertainty filled the Wraith commander and he looked back to Bonewhite with widened eyes. Bonewhite frowned and rose to his full height.

"Someone on this vessel knows more about you than _you_ do, Commander."

* * *

**A/N: A bit of a shorty, but necessary all the same. All will be explained in the coming chapters!**


	12. Temptation

**A/N: Hopefully this chapter clears some details up...and with a bit of fluff in the process ;)**

* * *

When Jennifer woke again, she was in a strange room she didn't recognize. Alarmed, she sat up quickly—only to gasp in surprise when she realized she could do so pain-free. She glanced around, confused, and then saw Guide's familiar form seated in a high-back chair near a window with a view she hadn't seen before.

"Guide?" she called, and the Wraith commander stood with the sort of fluidity only he could possess. He strode over to her, reaching out his non-feeding hand to lay it across her forehead. "Where are we?" she asked as he withdrew. "And why am I not hurting anymore?"

Frowning, the tall Wraith looked down at her.

"We are in my private quarters, Jennifer, and tt would appear that at least one Wraith in this Hive knows of our...correspondence," Guide told her, and although his stature was calm, Jennifer could see in the red rims of his eyes that he was more worried than he was letting on. "This does not bode well for the continuation of our research. Where there is one, there will be others. I am doubtful this individual has not yet informed others of the matter as a means of insurance, at the very least."

Stone faced, Jennifer questioned him.

"Even so, that doesn't explain why my injuries are healed."

"Do you not remember what happened when I came to you this morning?" Guide inquired.

"I remember waking up and being in an unthinkable amount of pain, and I remember Bonewhite pulling me out of the bed, but beyond that...no." The brown eyes that looked up into the yellow of the Wraith's were concerned. Guide folded his hands neatly behind his back and began to pace the room.

"Just prior to your incident with the carnivore in the lab, I had a rather disturbing dream in which you were gravely injured and eventually lost to me. While the dream was not spot-on with the events as they unfolded in reality, it was similar enough to strike me as odd. I did not speak of it, for I assumed it had been a warning from my own subconscious."

The woman held his gaze now, perplexed and somehow flattered. Guide continued.

"Last night, I had another dream, in which you were lost to me yet again, albeit in a slightly different manner than in the last. Furthermore, the dream involved my own capture."

"And what exactly does that mean?"

"In certain instances, it is possible for the Wraith to project visions upon others in an effort to achieve a desired outcome. It is less common for Wraith to use this ability upon their own kind, since it is significantly more difficult given our natural abilities to ward off mental intrusion. When it does occur, it is usually at night, during sleep, when the mind is in its most vulnerable state. What was done to me was an attempt to pinpoint any potential weaknesses in me as a leader. What was done to _you _was an attempt on your life to bring me to my knees. I killed one of my own to save you, Jennifer. Following this second attack, you were healed the moment I took hold of you. This is something that only occurs between a chosen Wraith and his Queen...a survival mechanism, of sorts. The Queen draws strength from her Wraith, even if it means their death, as a means to protect the Hive." He sat down in a nearby chair and looked at Jennifer from across the room.

The woman floundered for the appropriate response, but could find none. All she found were questions.

"But...I am not a Queen, Guide. Nor am I _your_ Queen in the least."

"_But_, Jenn-i-ferr, you _are_ a Wraithkin, albeit a different breed."

"I don't understand..." the blonde answered, her mind spinning.

Guide looked suddenly more uncomfortable now, shifting his position in the chair and finally raising his eyes to Jennifer's form. The Wraith traced the contours of his human counterpart's face and skimmed swiftly up and down her body and suppressed the urge to move toward her again. Although he had seen many human women unclothed, for some reason, Jennifer's half-clothed body intrigued him more deeply than the others. Her now flawless skin, milky white against the dark brassiere, silently begged for his touch. Shaking his head, he steeled himself and turned his mind to what he could find for her to wear. The shredded Atlantean uniform was hardly appropriate.

As he stood and began to rummage through the armoire beside his bed, Jennifer herself stood upright for the first time in days. He stopped when he felt her presence near to him, his hand freezing on one item of clothing in particular, and only when he was certain he had composed himself did he turn around.

"When your mind was displaced some time ago...into the body of the woman called Neeva...she was a Wraithkin, Jenn-i-ferr. The device behind the whole scenario operates on a molecular level neither the Atlanteans nor my kind fully understood. All we know is that there is always a residual effect on the parties in question when all is said and done. In this case, you gained a very small portion of her Wraith DNA. The DNA does not allow you the same extra-sensory perceptions as Teyla experienced, but it apparently allows your body to utilize mine as would an injured Wraith Queen."

Jennifer's eyes lit up, that scientific curiosity of hers revealing itself once more, but Guide shoved a gown into her hands before she could question him further. Holding it out before her and wrinkling her nose slightly, she protested.

"This is a dress!"

"And as such, it is quite fitting for the one whom is to learn to assimilate with my Hive. Female Wraith wear gowns, and so will you. Now, suit up." He respectfully turned his back on her, waiting for her to re-clothe herself.

Although she wanted to protest again, the woman relented, but not before hitting the commander with one last question.

"Guide?" she asked, her voice soft.

The scientist sighed, and turned to her just in time to see her pulling the straps of the dress up over the fine bones of her shoulders. A shudder passed through him, and he approached and then moved behind her. As his clawed fingers moved the zipper on the dress slowly up her back, he thought he heard a quiver in Jennifer's voice as she looked over her shoulder at the floor.

"Why didn't the...insta-heal...work until now?"

Guide tugged a strand of her honey-blonde hair from beneath the rear neckline of the dress.

"Wraith connections are complex and quite unpredictable, Doctor." He rotated her to face him, holding her at arms' length. The human female frowned.

"So are you, Guide."

Chuckling faintly, he trailed the index finger of his feeding hand down her jawline. A blush rose in the woman's cheeks, and she ducked her eyes away from his own. The gesture was short lived, for the Wraith commander soon lifted her chin with the same hand.

"You did not matter to me then, Jennifer, as you matter to me now."

A knot formed in the woman's stomach and she felt her cheeks grow even hotter than before. Ordinarily, she would not have pressed her fortunes, but this day, it seemed worth it.

"And...how is that, Guide?" she purred, raising an eyebrow at him and smiling.

A low growl met her brazen inquiry, and the Wraith dug his claws into her shoulders as he pulled her closer. He towered over her, making Jennifer wonder if she had been right in egging him on with the knowledge that he could in an instant snap her like a twig had he so pleased. Golden eyes raked hungrily over the sight of the skin revealed by the dress, making the Atlantean shiver. The commander leaned close to her now, his hot breath brushing her ear and shifting her hair.

"Do not tempt me, Doctor Kell-err..." he warned, sliding his hands down to grip her by the upper arms now. "Mine is a very dangerous game to play."

A smug, lopsided grin appeared on the woman's visage.

"My cards are on the table."

Hissing, Guide's hands sank to her waist and he jerked her fully against him, eliciting a slight gasp from the good doctor. His feeding hand buried itself in the locks of her honey-toned hair and tugged her head backward, exposing her throat to his hungry lips. In the process of walking her backwards across the room, Guide's serrated teeth nipped at the thin, sensitive white flesh of her jugular. When her back thudded against the wall, his hands roamed over her body for another moment before settling on either side of her head and directing her lips to his.

White-hot electricity coursed through Jennifer's comparatively frail body as she allowed the Wraith's actions to consume her. Guide's tongue plunged into her mouth as he deepened the kiss, his body frantic with want, and Jennifer felt her knees buckle.

Guide followed her to the floor, his larger frame nearly concealing her beneath him completely. For the life of him he could not explain what it was about this human he found so utterly intoxicating, but he didn't care. All that mattered was that she was here, beneath him, a willing participant just as eager as he was. Even so, he knew this was not the time to take things further. Not after such frightening events as those which had occurred only a few hours before.

Finally, for lack of oxygen, they separated.

Breathing hard, Guide shifted until he sat next to her, and Jennifer's head leaned against his strong, inhuman shoulder. He lifted the arm and slid it behind her, pulling her to him again. He breathed in the scent of her and shivered inadvertently. When he had composed himself, he spoke in a low growl, lifting one corner of his lips suggestively.

"Let's take a lesson from those cards of yours, and next time we'll do this on the table."

Jennifer couldn't help it—she burst out laughing, daring to pat his arm in affection.

"Perhaps there are a few things I should teach you about humans while you're teaching me about the Wraith," she chuckled, her spirits strangely lifted by this turn of events. "Namely, you _never _talk about sex on the first date."

Confused, the commander got to his feet, tugging Jennifer along with him.

"Come," he instructed, all evidence of the previous moments' happenings gone in an instant. "We have work to do."


	13. Intervention

**A/N: Once again, I find myself writing while about to fall asleep, so I'm sure there's typos somewhere in here...anyway, enjoy a semi-twist in the plotline!**

* * *

In his quarters, Bonewhite paced repeatedly around the small fountain adorning the center of the room. Something in the Hive's atmosphere had changed, rippling through him like the water before him, and its presence was unwelcome and unsettling. Guide's mistake was plain to see, and despite the fact that the lower members of the Hive's hierarchy would not feel this pulse of energy as Bonewhite did, there were still several who would. They wouldn't necessarily understand the reasons for it—something which worked in both Guide's and Bonewhite's favor—but the unrest would be there all the same. Bonewhite halted and turned to stare down into the water.

Bonewhite knew Guide's attention to the needs of the Hive and the Wraith in general had been broken by the human female. Now he had taken it upon himself to even _dress _her as a Wraith female would dress. It was only a matter of time before the commander's poor decisions led to an equally poor conclusion. The Second didn't _want_ to usurp Guide's control of the Hive—at least, not _yet—_but the further his...affinity...for humanity went, the less certain the Hive's future became. Bowing his head, the Wraith knew he had to take action, but he also knew his own abilities to lead the others on board would be sorely lacking compared to Guide's. Mutiny was not an option for him. He would have to find another way to return Guide's mind to the way it had been before the attack on Atlantis. Before the doctor had joined them. Were he to successfully remove her from the equation, there would be nothing left to distract the Commander from his duties.

* * *

Back in the lab, Jennifer's fingers moved swiftly across the keys of the old laptop. Guide had given her access to several new archives regarding the Wraith research into alternative food sources he had mentioned finding that short time after their initial conversation on the subject. The information was hardly groundbreaking, but there were at least two lists of foreign lifeforms that had proven toxic to the Wraith. Among them was included the description of an animal sounding very much like the one that had attacked Jennifer herself.

"_Anlos_," the doctor muttered to no one in particular, but Bonewhite appeared beside her at a moment's notice. The woman jumped when she caught his presence out of the corner of her eye. He glowered down at her from his great height, apparently wondering what she had said. Without having to hear him ask the question, Jennifer explained, "It's the species designation given by your kind to the animal in the quarantine room."

"I see," Bonewhite responded, seeming bored. He made no move to leave Jennifer's space, and it left the woman on-edge. While she doubted Bonewhite would ever make an attempt on her life, that she couldn't read him as easily as Guide was unnerving. Then his hand reached out and closed tightly around her wrist.

"I wonder, Doctor Keller," he began, the words slithering from his lips like a serpent from its den, "how it is you expect to fit in with the Wraith when your choice of words consistently to set our two species apart." His teeth were very slightly bared as his eyes locked upon her own, the yellow hue somehow very different from Guide's in spite of appearing the same at a distance.

Though she wanted to withdraw, to flee and cower at this strange show of dominance by Guide's second-in-command, Jennifer knew she couldn't. Instead, she quickly flipped the position of her hand so that her grip was now upon Bonewhite's own wrist, and in her free hand materialized the blade Guide had provided to her as a means of defense should there be any future animal attacks. She pressed the blade against the black leather of his abdomen, staring up into his eyes in challenge. "Fitting in does not mean forgetting who I am, Bonewhite," she whispered calmly, remaining in her seat at the table. "I merely prefer to celebrate our cultural differences."

The Wraith Second stared at her for another tense moment and then grinned.

"Guide has told me that you and I may not be so dissimilar as you want to believe," Bonewhite continued, releasing her and watching her as she did the same. "I am told that you yourself bear the DNA of the Wraith. Tell me, Doctor Keller, are you aware that one of the reasons so few Wraithkin like yourself exist today is because they are no longer Wraithkin, but _Wraith_?"

Jennifer let the blade fall away from him, her eyes narrowed while she shook her head.

Grinning to expose his sharp teeth, the Second explained.

"Just as your Doctor Beckett attempted to reactivate the human portions of Wraith, _my_ kind has successfully _de_activated those same portions in Wraithkin like yourself."

"You mean you've turned humans into Wraith?"

"My my, aren't we clever." He raised his faint white eyebrows.

"I was not born with this DNA, so I wouldn't be too sure such an experiment would work in my case," Jennifer retorted, standing up now to put some distance between the two of them.

"Quite the contrary," Bonewhite countered, still grinning. "In fact, I took part in a procedure with another whose situation was almost identical to your own several decades ago, and it went very well. She was left with no recollection of her previous state of existence _and,_ unlike Carson's creation, she never gained it back since our therapies are permanent and she was not required to receive daily injections to maintain her new form." As Jennifer paced the room, Bonewhite's eyes followed her. "Of course, there are _other_ ways of completing such a task that don't cause memory loss, but they are much more...taxing...to the human individual."

"Taxing...?"

"Clearly you are not familiar with Wraith reproductive capabilities."

Mortified, Jennifer attempted to respond, but she could only sputter. The Second, irritated, rolled his eyes at her and continued on.

"Surely Guide has mentioned to you the instabilities in the process of Wraith-human copulation...after all, you _are_ well on your way to reaching that point, are you not?" A lopsided grin came to his features. Without a second thought, Jennifer punched him, hard, in the chin.

Staggering backwards, Bonewhite's hand flew to his bloodied jawbone and gasped.

"_Clearly_ you are not familiar with human reproductive _dignity_," the woman snapped, and she whirled away from him. Bonewhite, still gasping and bleeding, caught her by the shoulder, spun her around again, and slammed her up against the wall.

"I am educated enough to understand what I see in the exchanges happening between my commander and his human _pet_," the Second hissed, his body pressed completely against hers with her arms held above her head. "But I do hope you take heed of my warning that your practices are not only unwise for you both, but in your case, your very existence is at stake."

"Why should I believe you?" Jennifer snarled, her voice low..

"Because _I_ am not the one courting you for the sole purpose of turning you into this Hive's newest _Wraith _Queen."

As she continued to stare into Bonewhite's hard, yellow eyes, Jennifer felt her stomach drop. Was he telling her the truth? Was Guide's ultimate goal to utilize her Wraith DNA to gain a Queen for the Hive? They had been Queen-less for many years—perhaps he finally needed one.

Bonewhite leaned back somewhat, only his abdomen and arms keeping her to the wall.

"There are far more uses for that big brain of yours than to learn the role of a _Queen_, Doctor Keller, I assure you. Let Guide teach you, but do not engage with him in any way. The closer the two of you become, the greater your own danger. And I, for one, don't want to see that sharp mind of yours fall victim to something so unsatisfying as the life of a Wraith Queen."

Jennifer's breathing was still rapid as she took in the Second's words. When he finally released her, her jello-legs could not support her, and she collapsed. Swiftly, Bonewhite caught and steadied her. She looked into his eyes again, calculating and uncertain. Then, she dipped her head in respect, and when she looked up again, those eyes were suddenly alive with the fires of ambition.

"What would you have me do, Bonewhite?"


	14. Saboteurs

**A/N: These next couple of chapters might be a bit confusing. I had a hard time writing them, and I let poor Jennifer and Guide go off on a tangent, but I promise there's a purpose! Thanks again to everyone who has been reviewing! I am about halfway through my photography season, so things should be settling down after the end of July which means more updates, yay!**

* * *

Alarms sounded suddenly from the west wing of the Hive, and Guide's attention quickly shifted from the glyphs scrolling across the console to the window overlooking the planet around which they were orbiting. He saw nothing of the approaching vessel the alarms were screaming about, but it wouldn't be the first time a cloak had been used in the Hive's vicinity. Sighing, he swiped his fingertips across the console again and brought up a short range scanner. Sure enough, a very non-invisible red dot appeared before him, and he looked out the window again just in time to see a small rock strike the vessel's shield. It flickered, revealing the shape of the ship, and Guide felt his body tense.

"Impossible!" the commander growled as he ran a more detailed sweep with the scanner. The energy readings told all. It was an Atlantean puddle jumper.

"What is it?"

Looking sharply over his shoulder so that his white hair fanned out, the Wraith's rigid stance frightened Jennifer, who had approached upon hearing the alarms.

"Saboteurs," he snapped back, taking control of the Hive from his console. Bonewhite appeared in the doorway moments later.

"Who?" Jennifer asked, anxious.

"Return to the bedroom, and stay away from the windows!" Guide barked, ignoring her question. The urgency in his voice let her know the situation was serious. Without another word, she did as he ordered, but not before catching Bonewhite's eye as she turned. He raised an eyebrow at her and she dropped her own eyes in submission. Just as she reached the entrance to the bedroom area, the ship pitched sharply to one side, throwing her against the damp walls with a thud.

An immense Wraith feeding hand wrapped its fingers around her upper arm, and as Guide drew her upwards, the Hive did the same with Bonewhite now at the controls. He kept hold of her arm with a quivering, bruising force.

"We must go to the bridge, Commander," Bonewhite directed from a few feet away, his voice harsh like the alarms. "We cannot maintain the Hive's course with the intruders on our tail."

Guide agreed, releasing Jennifer and thumping his fist against the entrance to the bedroom. It opened, far more slowly than either of them liked. He shoved her unceremoniously inside and let the door close behind her while he returned to Bonewhite. The pounding on the wall coming from inside the bedroom indicated Jennifer was not pleased with her containment, but Guide ignored it. He left his quarters with Bonewhite at his side, the pair of them striding down the corridors in perfect rhythm, black trench coats flowing behind them.

"I don't understand," Guide spoke as they walked, his lips lifting into an irritated snarl at the strange turn of events. "I myself watched the Replicators destroy the city. There were no survivors."

"The Atlantean female indicated to you that her team was off-world at the time the Replicators attacked," Bonewhite observed as they neared the bridge. "You told me this."

As they stepped onto the bridge, Guide looked at him.

"And this I do understand, Bonewhite, however, I find it very unlikely John Sheppard would be able to find my Hive so quickly and easily."

Bonewhite stepped up to his post beside Guide's, while the other crew shifted their own positions to make room for their superiors.

"You have also indicated to me that John Sheppard's team is...diverse...in its skills. Could they not have placed a tracking device in the female?"

"They would have no reason to do so."

"Perhaps a standard procedure?" the Wraith Second suggested.

Guide considered him.

"It is worth investigating, but first we must rid ourselves of this...situation."

Guide placed both hands on either side of the console before him, breathing deeply. His body quivered at the thrill of the chase, a part of him delighted to be able to think about something besides the Atlanteans and their destroyed city. Something besides the gene therapy that might mean the end of the human-Wraith war. Something besides Jennifer Keller and how much he had enjoyed their...mutual display of affection. His gut twisted, his body suddenly longing to go to her once more. To deposit her in his bed and take in her alien beauty. To strip her bare and stake his claim upon her to fulfill his most basic needs.

"Commander?"

Bonewhite's voice jerked him from his musing, and he scowled at him.

"What is it?" Guide snapped.

"The Atlantean vessel...our high-sensitivity scanners are not detecting any readings. They appear to have left the area." Bonewhite's narrowed eyes betrayed his skepticism even in his own declaration. Guide, evidently, felt that same skepticism.

"Increase the sensitivity of the scanners to maximum levels and keep looking!" the commander snapped, slamming his fist upon his console. His attention turned to another Wraith—his third-level officer—and the poor brute practically shriveled under his commander's gaze. "Have the Drones search the Hive. I'll not have any unwelcome guests gallivanting around my ship."

The Wraith Third nodded and then disappeared through a doorway. Bonewhite met Guide's eye and then shifted uncomfortably.

"Do you really think they could have gotten on board, Commander?" Bonewhite asked.

Guide bared his teeth momentarily and looked back out the window of the bridge.

"If John Sheppard has anything to do with this sighting, then I believe it is a strong possibility that he could find a way on board."

"If John Sheppard had anything to do with this, Commander, why not hail you and ask for permission to come aboard instead?"

Guide considered him, and then responded.

"_Because_, Bonewhite, as far as he is concerned, it may as well have been the Wraith that destroyed Atlantis. He knows Doctor Keller and I worked together on the Hoffan drug. _If_ he also managed to gather intel regarding the Doctor's presence here with us, it is likely he assumes we took her hostage in an attempt to continue development of the drug for our own purposes."

"Even so, why not make contact and demand an exchange?"

"The destruction of Atlantis is unforgivable in his eyes. I doubt Sheppard and I are on speaking terms at this point." Guide sighed and looked around at his crew.

"Those would be false assumptions—surely he would see reason upon speaking with the Doctor...would she not vouch for you Guide?" Bonewhite's expression jested faintly.

"I cannot fully anticipate Doctor Keller's ultimate reaction to her situation were she to come upon the Atlanteans again," Guide admitted, more to himself than to his second-in-command. "Faced with the chance to return to her own kind...I fear it would be much the same as was my own end to human captivity. Any sympathy I might have felt for the humans during my imprisonment vanished the moment I was free of my cell."

Surprised that Guide was speaking so openly about his own capture, Bonewhite slid a finger along his console and increased the shield stability in preparation for a hyperspace jump. Silently, Guide gave him the go-ahead to make the jump. The ship shuddered briefly and then settled into the steady reverberating hum signaling their presence in hyperspace. Guide spoke.

"Inform me when we are nearing the next planet. The Doctor's presence will be required for this trip, and I wish to give her as much time to prepare as possible."


	15. Worsening

Jennifer steadied herself against the wall when she felt the Hive move into hyperspace. Her body relaxed, understanding that so long as they were in hyperspace, they were almost 100% safe from any sort of attack. Guide and Bonewhite's earlier actions had unsettled her, not because of the mention of saboteurs, but instead the manner in which it had been said. Guide himself had appeared more uncomfortable than she had ever seen him before as he had shoved her into his bedroom and sealed the door. What was it he was so worried about?

Just as she took a seat on the edge of the mattress, the door retracted and Guide appeared. She quickly righted herself, but resisted the urge to run to him, to inquire about the situation, and to demand to know why she hadn't been allowed to join him on the bridge. After all, _Queens_ belonged on the bridge at least _some_ of the time, did they not?

"Your assistance will be required on this upcoming planet," the Wraith spoke sternly, his hands folded behind his back and his stature stiff. He looked down at her from his greater height, the long black trench coat making him appear quite ominous as he did so.

"Oh?" Jennifer asked in return, her interest piqued.

"There was a human colony on this planet several years ago, and the species we seek has taken up home within the walls of that colony. The humans aren't there anymore—complications of a plague, not the Wraith, before you ask—but the enclosure is warded by a series of codes we have, thus far, been unable to understand. The language is human, but it does not appear to be the same structure as that which you and I speak."

Jennifer narrowed her eyes and tilted her head, trying to retain the scientist part of her brain and subdue the strange feminine attraction to the male before her.

"I'm not sure I understand what you're talking about, but I will gladly accompany you and help translate wherever I can. I'm no Daniel Jackson though."

In a decidedly human fashion, Guide rolled his eyes.

"I am sure your powers of translation will be more than adequate."

"What is it we're trying to catch this time?" She tried to hide the grin at the corner of her lips.

"We cannot pronounce their designation until you translate the codes."

"Well...describe them, then."

"They are larger than you and I and very aggressive." He cocked an eyebrow.

"Why don't we pick an easier species if they are so aggressive?"

"It is precisely this level of aggression that suggests their life force will provide an acceptable substitution for that of a human."

"More energy...more food," Jennifer mumbled.

"More food...less danger to _your_ kind." Their eyes connected, brown to yellow-green, and a series of images suddenly flashed through both their minds.

Jennifer gasped as she witnessed herself lying in her bed, bloodied and broken.

Guide tensed when he saw an unfamiliar Wraith Queen beside him, a blade in her hand coated with thick, sticky blood.

The moment was gone in an instant, but it was enough to cause Jennifer to take several steps backwards and away from the Wraith before her. She felt the mattress as it brushed the back of her knees, but she carefully kept herself distanced from it now. Guide reached toward her in an uncharacteristic but strangely instinctual fashion, seeking only to calm her, but the damage was done. Jennifer was frightened.

"_Don't_ touch me!" she cried, brandishing the blade he had given to her. "I see what your mind sees, Guide. I'm no fool. When we get to this planet, I plan to stay behind. I will find my own way until I make it back to the Milky Way Galaxy and can connect with my own kind once again."

The sight of the blade made Guide's muscles stiffen, for he knew in spite of the human's general physical weakness, she could strike quickly as a viper might. Deep within him a different instinct surfaced—the instinct to feed on that which threatened him, to gain strength from her fear and energy from the adrenaline that coursed through her. The great alien body quivered and he took a step toward her, secretly reveling at the way she anxiously twisted the hand holding the knife. The Wraith's pupils dilated as they locked eyes again, and another vision passed between them.

_The Wraith Queen hissed and pulled Jennifer's head backward by her hair. The doctor was on her knees, and the Queen spoke to Guide who stood a short distance away._

"_You have done well, Commander," the Queen breathed, grinning sadistically. "I must admit, I had my doubts regarding her viability as the human who would perfect the serum, but I now know I was wrong. And, of course, your own scientific contributions will make all the difference for Wraith survival. I had no idea it was possible to prolong the humans' ability to survive our feeding sessions." She ran the blade softly across Jennifer's throat, scratching it but drawing no blood. "I do so believe it is time for a celebration, of sorts. Since this human is of no further use to us..." She shoved Jennifer forward now so that she feel at Guide's knees. "To the victor go the spoils, Commander. I injected her this morning. Eat..."_

Back in reality, the enraged Wraith commander roared aloud and it took all of his strength to halt the vision where it lay. Jennifer, inexplicably weakened, collapsed to the floor. The blade fell from her hand, and as she looked up at the approaching Wraith, the terror in her eyes was evident.

"I cannot allow you to stay behind, Doctor Kell-err," Guide issued, sounding tired as he crouched down beside her. She shivered against her will, and he took note. "The visions you and I are seeing are intended to drive a wedge between us to ensure we do not continue our research. If I let you stay behind, the perpetrator will receive exactly that which they have been attempting to achieve." He reached for the knife and closed her fingers around the handle again, and then lifted her so that her back leaned against the side of the bed. If it would provide her any comfort knowing she held a weapon in her hand, he was willing to take the risk of being injured himself.

"Why am I so weak?" the woman gasped softly, her mouth slightly agape.

"Fear releases certain chemicals in the human body that are detectable by any Wraith—myself included. Just as is the case with the beast we will soon be hunting, those chemicals mean a more nourishing meal. In certain cases it is possible for Wraith to obtain energy from humans through purely telepathic means."

"So...I've been fed upon?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes. This sort of feeding won't kill you directly, but it can leave you vulnerable to other...threats." The Wraith shifted, taking her by the upper arm and pulling her to her less-than-steady feet.

"I guess it makes sense now why you told me to stand my ground when you first brought me here," Jennifer observed, her voice hoarse. Guide merely nodded. "How do I know it wasn't _you_ that just fed upon me?" Her eyes had narrowed now, the dark grey circles beneath them more evident than usual.

Offended, but too tired to care, Guide sighed.

"Of late, it has proven more difficult for me to resist the urge to feed. You are the only human aboard my vessel, so it is a natural response that my body should desire you in so sinister a way. All living things must eat, Jennifer, but I would never willingly let such a fate befall you."

"Willingly..." the woman murmured, shivering again. "Am I to take that to mean there are methods, too, by which the Wraith can force one another to complete tasks they might otherwise avoid? Including feeding?"

"Yes."

"And...considering the fact that these visions are happening when we're awake now, instead of just when we're asleep...am I to assume you are on your way to being controlled by another?"

Just as Guide tightened his feeding hand on Jennifer's arm, Jennifer tightened her hold on the handle of the knife. His free hand skimmed under her chin and then his palm was against her cheek, the motion making her shudder and her already weak legs threaten to buckle beneath her. The slits of the Wraith's yellow eyes shifted back and forth between the dark brown irises before him, seeking to connect with her mentally. She carefully prevented him from doing so in a way he didn't quite understand, but he was wise enough not to press her privacy. From her stature alone he knew whatever trust she might once have had in him was faltering. He recognized it in the way she held the knife, poised to attack should the need arise.

"I am not so feeble as a human, Doctor Kell-err," the alien purred. "I am not your Rodney McKay, useless in battle and good only for dancing."

Beneath his hand, he felt her soften just so.

"He wasn't _useless _in battle, just in hand-to-hand combat!" Jennifer snapped back, uncertain why she was even bothering to defend Rodney's honor at this point. She knew enough of Guide's persona to realize he would never think highly of McKay, as she did.

"If only he were here now...perhaps he could use that wonderful brain of his to determine who is setting these visions upon us..." In his voice, the mockery outweighed the darker meaning of the words. Jennifer attempted to tug her arm away, but the commander held fast, grinning and displaying the rows of sharp teeth. "...And then, with said perpetrator's extermination, I would be free to help you fit in among my kind. I could have you, without interruption or contrition, as nature intended it to be."

Their eyes locked, and Jennifer's stomach knotted. Her hold on the knife slackened, but Bonewhite's warning rang in her ears. Was Guide really seeking a new Queen? Or did he actually feel something for her, just as she existed now?

"What is it Jenn-i-ferr?"

She was taken aback by the concerned note she heard in his words, but doubt still lingered in her mind.

"Nature did not _intend_ for humans to live among Wraith, let alone..." The blonde trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

Guide narrowed his eyes, at last releasing her arm. He stood straighter now, clasping his hands behind his back and lifting his chin.

"You...have been speaking with someone regarding this matter," the commander stated, his tone sharp and his intelligent eyes knowing exactly to what she was referring.

"I read about it in one of the new archives you gave me access to," Jennifer responded, shaking her head and suddenly overcome by the need to protect Bonewhite. "Well, I read bits and pieces about Wraith experimentation with human DNA and the Iratus bug DNA and after that...things just kind of...fell into place."

Skeptical, Guide's eyes remained narrowed, but she told a convincing lie.

"There are times it would be best for you to trust me, Doctor, rather than trusting your human-born instincts. I can only hope that one day you will think more highly of me than your accusations so imply."

"I didn't accuse you of anything, Guide."

"At the very least you have insulted my honor, to believe I am so lowly a creature as to seek your transformation into something you are not."

Jennifer, torn between an inclination to fear him and her growing compulsion to trust him, dropped her eyes to the floor.

"I have spent the last several years being taught that any Wraith I encounter will kill me," she spoke softly, keeping her gaze low. "John himself told me more about you than I could ever have hoped to know, and _all_ of it encircled the concept that you are a self-serving alien murderer who happens to understand the idea of biding his time."

Guide felt his chest tighten and rage flood his veins. How _dare_ that no-good Colonel spread such tales of him! Self-serving, yes, but a murderer? Only by necessity. He clenched his hands into fists, squeezing so hard that enzyme began to ooze from the maw of his feeding hand, and blood trickled from the points where his claws dug into his flesh. When his eyes landed back on the small Atlantean before him, it was all he could do to contain his fury and ensure he did nothing more to convince her that her readings were accurate. Blowing out a breath through his sharp teeth, he opened his hands, studying the drying blood as he did so.

"_John Sheppard_ did not know so much as he believed," Guide said finally, his nostrils curling and wrinkles appearing on the bridge of his nose. "The Wraith, too, believe in the sanctity of life, in ways different than you humans do. But I have _never_ killed without a reason, Jenn-i-ferr, nor do I _ever_ plan to subject you to such a fate." Their eyes locked, but Jennifer couldn't speak.

"We will be arriving at the planet in a few hours," Guide snapped in continuation. "Return to your own quarters and ready yourself."


	16. The Colony

Rid of the awful Wraith gown, Jennifer couldn't decide if the oversized leather uniform Guide had provided to her for the mission was better or worse. As the group moved through the Stargate and into their traveling formation, the only visible difference between Jennifer and her comrades was her significantly shorter height. Three Wraith flanked her while Bonewhite stayed close to her side. Guide and another led the group, holding weapons in their hands which Jennifer did not recognize. Whatever they were, they evidently packed more of a punch than that which were typically utilized by the Wraith. Meanwhile, she had only been provided with a set of chains.

In spite of her tense curiosity, the doctor knew better than to speak aloud, and so, she concentrated on sending her thoughts to Bonewhite telepathically.

"_I thought Guide said the animals were inside the colony walls?"_

Obviously surprised that she would speak to him so directly, Bonewhite's brows fell back to their normal position before he appeased her.

"_Most of them are, but there are other dangers here. Namely for you."_

"_Such as?"_

"_There is a chance the plague that killed off the humans here could remain."_

"_Thankfully I now know about the healing benefits of my Wraith-kin genetics,"_ Jennifer retorted silently, and she smirked at the alien beside her. Bonewhite wrinkled his nose and had silence not been so important at the time, he would have scoffed.

"_I presume you have not heeded my words to keep your distance from the commander then?" _He looked at her briefly, disapproving and...angry? Jennifer realized she was absorbing more than just words from him now—his emotions were being shared with her as well. But why would he be so angry?

"_You may be Wraith-kin, but you will never be Wraith, regardless of how hard the commander may try to change that fact,"_ Bonewhite answered mentally, and there was a molten quality to his silent words that made Jennifer's stomach twist. Bonewhite, although detached, had always been sensible when dealing with her. This time though, the blonde felt uncomfortable walking beside him. Unsafe, even. Up until that moment, she hadn't ever actually felt _afraid_ of him.

The group halted suddenly, abiding Guide's command from the front, and for what seemed an eternity they stayed, silent and still, tense and ever-increasingly alert.

"The entrance is not far from here," Guide spoke aloud, although his volume stayed low. "In the past, the beasts awaited our entry and tried to ambush us the moment the gates opened. We must be vigilant this time, for we are without the humans charged with keeping the beasts under control. Doctor Kell-err has never dealt with these creatures before."

The team acknowledged his words, and then the commander ordered the Wraith beside him to switch places with Jennifer. As she moved up beside him, he offered her a weapon. She took it with a gloved hand, but Guide held fast and connected his eyes and mind to her own.

"_This weapon is typically reserved for those with a somewhat more...substantial...body structure than yours. Tread lightly, and fire only as a last resort. There will be no time for my team or myself to retrieve an injured female, and we _**will **_leave you to the beasts if the worst happens."_

Nodding stiffly, Jennifer gave another light tug on the gun and Guide released it. His yellow eyes stayed locked on the brown of the woman's, and after a moment, she had to look away. In spite of how long she had coexisted with the Hive's commander, something about his eyes still screamed that he was a predator waiting to strike. She heard him utter something between a growl and a simple exhalation, and when she next looked to him, he was ordering the team to continue forward once more. From behind her, Bonewhite's feeding hand fell to her shoulder blade and she jumped, startled, into motion.

Before long they had arrived at the entrance to the colony. Walls of a strange blue stone towered over them, and as Jennifer came to stand at the gate, the other members of the team fanned out to form a barricade behind her. Guide stood halfway between her and the barricade, gesturing with one arm to a panel beside the door. Jennifer followed his pointing finger and saw several marking in the stone. She stepped closer and ran her own fingers over the markings. When she realized what they were, she groaned.

"_Latin_?" the doctor complained, spinning around to face Guide. "I haven't had to translate _Latin_ since middle school, Guide. How on Earth do you expect me to—"

"We are far from Earth," the commander interrupted, seeming utterly confused.

Jennifer's mouth, previously having been open to finish her sentence, closed, along with her eyes. _Someday_ she would learn to curb her human idioms when speaking to him.

"Nevermind," she muttered quietly, and then turned back to the stones.

* * *

By the time Jennifer had finally managed to explain to Bonewhite how to properly open the gate, the planet's star was low in the sky and nightfall was near. Jennifer stood between the first and second commanders now, the rest of the team before and behind them, weapons raised and poised to attack anything that might come at them. Bonewhite tapped into his wireless command panel and a few seconds later, the gate slid open.

"_Steady..."_ Guide commanded to his team without speaking. Cautiously, they stepped through the doorway and the gate scraped shut behind them. The Wraith that were in the back moved to the sides and then out into the front. The silence around them had the entire group tense.

"This is...different...than the last time we were here..." Bonewhite commented softly, his leather-clad arm brushing against Jennifer's as he held his gun level and swept his gaze from one side to the next. On her left, Guide curled his lips and growled. His feeding hand raised and his finger pointed at a figure moving in the distance, its form almost hidden by the darkness.

"Load your weapons with the sedative," he commanded and the group silently did as he asked. "Spread out. In this darkness we have the element of surprise."

Mere instants after he had uttered the words, three monstrosities launched into the midst of the team, separating them and taking out several members in just a few swipes. They were larger than a horse, with strange, flattened skulls and muzzles on an elongated neck. They lacked much of a tail, rather possessing a short, thick stub still very capable of damaging anyone it struck.

One of the animals approached Jennifer, and her body shrank to the ground of its own accord. She scurried backward until her shoulder blades hit the stone walls surrounding the colony. She saw the silhouette of the commander leap to one side and launch a sedation dart from his gun. It struck the beast, but it remained standing, issuing a scream at the strike and turning its attention to Guide now. He launched three more darts, all of which hit their target, but still the creature did not go down. Bonewhite, busy with his own individual, appeared to have lost his weapon and had taken to physically assaulting the beast. In her hand, Jennifer's gun quivered.

Another roar sounded to her left and the doctor looked over just in time to see the shadow of one of the animals launch itself at Guide and take him down. Her heart leapt into her throat and she raised the gun. Beneath its mass, the Wraith commander struggled to regain his footing, repeatedly slamming a blade into his attacker's side.

A shot sounded from her other side and Bonewhite's monster dropped like a stone to the earth below. The third animal that had been busy with the remainder of the team turned its attention suddenly to Jennifer, and she quickly scrambled to her feet upon noticing it. Steeling herself, she raised the gun Guide had given to her and fired.

The kickback of the weapon sent her stumbling backwards and into the wall, her head striking the stone and dizzying her. Her aim was true, however, and her would-be assailant collapsed with one enormous paw just a few feet from her person. In spite of her blow, Jennifer fought back to her feet once again, staggering toward Guide, while Bonewhite ran toward two other injured members of their team.

The blonde dropped her gun and dragged the short chain from her utility belt, rushing at the attacking creature. From the ground, Guide roared, infuriated, as the monster managed to swipe his weapon from his hand. A moment later and a strangled cry ripped from the Wraith's throat—the animal's claws had dug into his midsection, tearing through the thick leather.

Jennifer hurled the chain at the creature's rear legs and snapped up Guide's fallen tranquilizer gun from the ground nearby as the chains caught and the beast tripped up. Three more darts were fired into its side before, finally, its legs buckled and the full weight of its body crumpled onto Guide. In the distance, other members of the same enormous animals watched, but they made no moves to attack. The doctor dropped the gun again and crouched by Guide's side as he wrestled himself from beneath their catch. Gasping for breath, his yellow eyes wide and bloodshot, the commander stared at Jennifer as though she had two heads.

"You should not have come!" he snarled, and when he coughed, Wraith blood bubbled up from the wound in his abdomen. "Our mission was to capture the beast alive, and you abandoned it for my sake. Your human nature...it disgusts me." He winced.

Jennifer rocked back onto the balls of her feet and scowled at him.

"That thing _is_ alive, no thanks to you, and quite frankly, I would rather have _you_ alive than _that_." She pulled up her sleeves subconsciously. "Now, let me have a look at that wound."

But Guide refused, getting painfully to his feet and enticing Jennifer to do the same. Bonewhite and the two survivors made their way to their unconscious prey and secured it, preparing to remove it from the colony. Guide would not look at the woman as he turned his back and slipped his blade back into its sheath.

"I will deal with you when we return to the ship, Doctor Kell-err. Move out!"

* * *

**_A/N: Awwww, poor Guide...his pride is hurt! I hope Jennifer didn't come off as TOO much of a badass in this chapter, but I do feel like it was time she proved her worth somehow. I promise there shall be fluff in the next chapter, if not a bit more...hint hint. We shall see how it plays out. I never quite know where these two are going to end up when I start writing..._**

**_As always, I appreciate your reviews! They inspire me to continue!_**


	17. Interference

Under cover of darkness, the team managed to drag their unconscious catch through the colony doorway and towards the planet's Stargate. It was no easy task—the animal weighed a good half-ton, and the iron chains they had draped across it only added to its dead weight. Bonewhite was the only individual who was not helping to move it, as he had been charged with protecting the group and covering them from the rear. Even Guide, injured though he was, helped. It was less than ideal, but given the circumstances, it was the best they could do. Jennifer, sweat rolling down her brow, grunted and questioned no one in particular.

"Why can't we just beam this sucker up into on of the Darts?"

"And give away our position?" came the voice of a Wraith Jennifer did not know. "That would be a very unwise decision indeed."

"Not to mention the buffers in the Darts are only good up to a certain weight," offered another. Jennifer was surprised that either of them had bothered to answer her—on their way into the colony, the others had been content to ignore her presence entirely, but now...

"Stop talking!" Bonewhite snapped at a high whisper from behind them, and the group obliged without question. "I heard something."

They halted now, taking advantage of the unscheduled break, but the uncertainty of Bonewhite's statement left them tense nonetheless. Jennifer watched as Guide straightened and drew his weapon, his every sense on edge as his eyes scanned the edges of the forest. The Stargate was in sight, the ring empty and dark, but its presence alone was enough to reassure Jennifer that they stood a chance to make it back home.

_Home._

Was that what she had come to call the Hive?

Gunfire rang out suddenly, and a red glow zipped past Jennifer's shoulder.

_Blaster fire?_

Another shot was fired, striking Guide in the arm and eliciting a roar of pain. He swiftly returned fire, hunching down into battle stance while the others did the same. Jennifer found herself unceremoniously shoved toward Bonewhite, who snatched her by the sleeve and dragged her down behind a large boulder. He growled at her to stay put and then shot around the edge of the stone. Jennifer slid alongside the rock and peered out past the edge, striving to see her attackers. Another red glow burrowed into the trees at the edge of the field and her heart leapt into her throat.

That _was_ a blaster! There was only one individual she knew of that carried a blaster.

"It would appear your Atlantean companions are not so lost to you as you believed," Bonewhite hissed as a stray bullet skimmed the edge of the boulder. He sidled down until their upper arms contacted each other. Jennifer looked at him in the darkness, wishing she had the same night vision she knew the Wraith did. "Perhaps if we can get them to stop blindly shooting at us, we can come to an agreement that does _not_ involve death!"

"Tell Guide to cease fire then!" Jennifer bit back, shouting over the gunfire. "I haven't perfected the whole mental-connection thing yet, especially not while being shot at!"

But before either of them could make the request, Guide's own voice rolled over the surrounding area.

"_John Sheppard!"_

If the doctor's heart hadn't been beating out of her chest already, it certainly was then. Without thinking, she leapt upward and cried out to Sheppard to stop firing. Guide's head snapped around and his feeding hand made a mad grab for her as she bolted from behind the rock and past his position, straight into the fray. He caught her, the force spinning her around so that she lost her footing completely and landed on her knees in the field. By some miracle, she had managed to make her presence known without injury, and the gunfire came to an abrupt close. The Wraith commander's grip on her leather jacket was unfailing, in spite of his own injuries, as John Sheppard, Teyla, Ronin and Rodney emerged from the timberland on the opposite site of the field, weapons drawn and at the ready, but quite obviously cautious. His senses heightened by the adrenaline, Guide sensed the change in Jennifer's chemistry already.

"Well, well, well," Sheppard sang to the commander when he had come to stand within a few meters of the group and their downed animal catch. "Long time no see Todd. What've you been up to lately? Aside from snatching up our best medical officer and the Hoffan drug, I mean."

Guide sneered as he pulled Jennifer to her feet, maintaining his hold upon her.

"I knew you and your team were off world when Atlantis was attacked, but I had presumed it would take much longer to run into you. Tell me, how is it you came to be here, on this planet?"

"I felt the need to take a vacation, and this seemed like an excellent place to do just that," John replied, the mocking nature of his tone evident to the extreme. "I, for one, am more interested in how it is _you_ came to be here, on this planet, with _our_ doctor in tow."

Jennifer looked at Guide but his harsh yellow eyes never left John's.

"Your doctor would be dead along with the rest of your people were it not for my actions."

"The rest of my people _are_ dead because of _your_ actions!" John bellowed, his finger twitching over the trigger of his gun.

"I was under your guard when Atlantis was attacked, _John Sheppard_, surely you do not think _I _had anything to do with what happened?"

The colonel scoffed.

"The surveillance footage we recovered shows _your_ Dart fleeing the city just a few seconds before the self-destruct sequence completed and the place was blown sky-high. Funny how you were bound and under guard until you needed to be freed."

At this, Jennifer stepped forward.

"He's telling the truth, John," she said, her voice cracking at the joy of speaking to another human being. "It wasn't the Wraith, it was the Replicators that attacked Atlantis."

"Replicators?" Teyla repeated, her brows furrowing as she stepped forward and lowered her weapon. "But we destroyed their home world. How could any of them have survived?"

"Oh, it's possible, just not very likely," Rodney spoke up from his place next to Ronin. John pivoted on one foot slowly to look at him with raised eyebrows.

"I thought the point of blowing up their home world was to destroy _all_ of them, Rodney, not all but _some_ of them..."

"I never said it was going to wipe them _all_ out, just...most of them."

"Rodney...?"

Flustered, Rodney took on his trademark hurried method of explanation.

"Okay, look. _In theory_, if any of the Replicator ships were far enough away from the planet's core when it became unstable, it _could _theoretically have exploded before their nanites were sucked into the blob along with the others."

John's eyebrows raised even further, threatening to disappear into the shaggy dark brown hair as he waited further elaboration from his lead scientist.

"I just mean that it's _possible_ some of them might not have been destroyed because the thing sucking them in disappeared before it could suck them in too." Rodney's mouth and eyebrows flatlined into a glare.

"_Rodney!_" John cried, rolling his eyes.

"Okay, okay, so I made a mistake, it happens even to the best of us from time to time!" Rodney cried, ducking his head below his open palms.

"It does not matter how they survived, but that they did, indeed, survive," Teyla cut in, stern and serious as usual.

John nodded.

"I agree. _But_, that still doesn't explain why exactly you felt the need to take our chief doctor prisoner aboard your hive instead of returning her to us." He looked at Jennifer now and lowered his voice to an exaggerated whisper. "We've missed you, y'know. Especially Rodney." His thumb jerked in the scientist's direction, who frowned, crossed his arms, and looked away.

Jennifer's cheeks grew warm and Guide's feeding hand tightened its hold on her jacket.

"Doctor Kell-err freed me herself," the Wraith commander boasted, holding his head high and allowing a small grin to touch his lips. "We made our escape together before Atlantis was destroyed, and took the last sample of your Hoffan drug with us." He moved his hand now, releasing her and laying it back against his side. The yellow eyes looked at her for a moment, but then moved to Rodney's form, as he had stepped forward.

"Any chance that I can...um...you know...come over there...without getting shot?" the twitchy scientist fumbled, his eyes locked on Guide, clearly frightened.

The Wraith bared his teeth and grabbed Jennifer's arm again.

"You may make your own choice, Doctor McKay, but I would not advise it."

Rodney halted, his mouth snapping shut and his eyes dropping to the ground. Ronin raised his blaster again, taking two steps forward and pointing it at Guide. The Wraith merely laughed.

"What is it with you humans and your need to kill, when there is so much that can be gained by allowing others to live?" the alien questioned, tilting his head.

"Speak for yourself," Rodney muttered under his breath.

"Enough!" Jennifer shouted from beside the commander, ripping her arm away from him and separating herself from both groups. "I will explain everything to everyone, but first, we _need_ to get this animal back to the Hive ship. If it wakes up before we get there, we're _all_ as good as dead." Her eyes darted back and forth between Guide and her Atlantean counterparts, trying to anticipate their reactions. As if on cue, a low grunt issued from the chained beast nearby. The doctor looked to the Wraith now, brown connecting sharply with yellow-green. "Guide, will you allow them on board? I believe they can help."

Bonewhite appeared now, standing between Jennifer and the commander, and the other two Wraith stood a short distance behind.

"She speaks wisely, my lord," Bonewhite agreed, inclining his head slightly to his superior. "The Atlanteans have no home. Their threat is minimal at best, but the assistance they can provide...it could be great."

Quite obviously Guide did not feel the same as his sub-commander or the doctor. The skin over the bridge of his nose wrinkled and his lips lifted up as he rolled his eyes. When they came to rest on John, the Atlantean cocked an eyebrow and tilted his head. _Cocky as ever_.

"Very well," Guide issued at last, gritting his teeth. "You may come aboard my ship, but you may _not_ roam free. You will be restricted to three rooms in the lower decks, and should you attempt to take your leave of those rooms..."

"Yeah, yeah, we know, you'll eat us...er..._feed_ on us, and all that," John cut in, wrinkling his own nose and waving his hand. "Let's get a move on, shall we then?"

Guide growled under his breath and looked at Jennifer.

"_I hope you know what you are doing."_

* * *

**A/N: Okay, okay, I know I promised some fluff, but somehow I got completely turned around in this chapter. I guess I thought it would be more appropriate to have a little third party assistance before Guide and Jennifer get any closer...after all, they haven't really outright admitted to each other that they WANT something...why not throw a little uncertainty into the mix to stress everyone out? Author's privilege!**


	18. Divulgence

**A/N: Here you go guys...I hope this will suffice! I feel like Guide's character is finally starting to evolve in this chapter. As always, reviews are appreciated!**

* * *

"Let me see your arm," Jennifer demanded of Guide when they had stepped back into the living quarters in the upper decks. He grumbled audibly, striding quickly away and stripping himself of his utility belt. It clunked to the dining table while the doctor remained by the doorway, her hands on her hips. "Really, Guide? Are you still bothered by the fact that I wouldn't let you die?"

Another grumble followed suit, and Jennifer took the initiative to move toward him. Just as he reached the entrance to his private quarters and the door vanished into itself, the woman caught his uninjured upper arm. His reaction was immediate and intemperate; before she knew what had happened, Jennifer found herself mashed against the damp wall with a very aggravated Wraith commander's feeding hand quivering over her heart and his other hand digging into her shoulder to keep her in place. His claws ripped through the leather jacket he had earlier placed upon her himself, drawing blood from the delicate skin beneath. Jennifer's eyes locked onto his, her lips parted as quick puffs of air passed through them. For a long moment, they simply stared at one another, predator to prey, until, finally, the commander regained his composure. His feeding hand retreated to his side and, stiffly, he released her.

"You disobeyed my orders," he issued in a low voice, and it was evident to Jennifer that he was truly straining to contain his anger. "Were you any other you would not be reprimanded, but..._dispatched_...by myself or my Second."

Rubbing her chest where his claws had pierced, Jennifer continued to push.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing I am who I am, then. May I see your arm _now_?"

This time when her touch befell him, he did not so much as flinch. A great, heaving sigh filtered from his lips as the warmth of her hands seeped through his protective leather sleeve and into the cold skin beneath. His mental barriers fell, and she tugged him gently through the doorway and into his quarters, stopping to stand by the small reading table. Jennifer cautiously poked and prodded at the wounds dotting his arm. The blaster fire appeared to have skipped from his forearm to upper arm, leaving its final painful mark in the soft area between his chest and shoulder.

"Alright, strip," Jennifer demanded, her expression stern as she met Guide's eye. He merely studied her, his head tilting to one side, and did nothing. "I can't fix this with your jacket on, Guide, so come on, _strip_. I won't ask you again." She stepped back and crossed her arms over her chest.

"This injury does not require your attention," he said in response, his voice hoarse and tired. "It will heal on its own, in time."

"Maybe so, but I bet you'll be a lot more comfortable in the meantime _without_ a gaping hole in your shoulder." She cocked an eyebrow at him, the persistent, obnoxious doctor in her rearing tall. The Wraith lowered his upper lids in a glare, and then grudgingly agreed.

"Very well," he snapped, shuffling and removing the jacket from his good shoulder first, and then gingerly shrugging the other in an attempt to reduce the pain of the motion. He wore a thin cloth tank top below the leather which conformed tightly to his physique, and Jennifer couldn't help but allow her eyes to swiftly rake over his form. A low chuckle rumbled in his chest as he caught the gesture, and it erupted into a laugh at Jennifer's reddening cheeks. "If you so wished to gaze upon me unclothed, _Doctor_ Kell-err, you need only have asked. I would have readily obliged."

"Don't flatter yourself," the blonde countered, scowling. "If a patient is injured, it is much easier to judge the damage when it is not hidden from view. The fact that my patient happens to be...physically fit...is just an added benefit. Besides, you're not unclothed."

"Ahh..." he murmured as she moved behind him to examine the exit wound. She pressed softly on the area around the lesion, exploring the sensitivity and trying to determine if there were any lingering pieces of the blaster fire within. She felt him recoil ever so slightly at one particular location, knowing that his discomfort must have been intense to generate such a motion, and as a result, she quickly reached for the base of the tank top to pull it over his head.

The doctor's gasp was not lost to him as her hands brushed the raised ridges of his spine, and as the shirt fell to the floor, Guide turned his head to gaze at her over his shoulder without yet turning his body.

"Is there a problem, Doctor?" he inquired, his voice indicating genuine curiosity while his smirk suggested he already understood.

Her purpose momentarily lost, Jennifer's fingertips quivered over the prominence of the vertebrae, lips parted and a curiosity beyond the scientific overcoming her. It had been some time since she had associated Guide with the term "alien," but the sight of such strangeness brought it back to her with a startling intensity. The pale green flesh shown the blue network of his veins and arteries in crystal clarity, and she traced the pathways delicately, eliciting an answering quake from the great body before her. He turned on her then, utilizing the good arm to encircle her midriff and the bad to simply move his fingers through the battle-strewn gold of her hair.

He backed her to the table and dipped his forehead to rest against hers, his breaths as hitched and troubled as her own. Jennifer's eyes never left his, though he concealed the irises behind cross-hatched, green-skinned lids. Her mind protested at every instant of contact but her body betrayed her at every other, longing for the cool graze of his hand in areas neglected for longer than she cared to admit. Their minds swirled together with no particular effort from either, and Jennifer was shocked to decipher, among other, more prominent, emotions, an unease that wove deep into the fabrics of his being. Though he spoke none of it, nor did he project it to her directly, Jennifer knew such unease could be caused only by the new Atlantean presence on the Hive. Guide's eyes opened now, softening as their light met hers.

"I...and my crew...Jennifer, we must feed."

The doctor's heart dropped like a stone and her gut twisted. Her lips parted as an offended, fearful stare took over her features. Guide held her in his hands, trapped against the table, but he made no move to harm her. Instead he moved back, holding her at arm's length and wincing as a wave of pain rippled through the injured limb.

"Our research into alternative sources of nourishment is regrettably slow-paced, and with the addition of more humans to my vessel...well, it has become quite difficult to curb my need for satiation, and my crew's needs grow even stronger than my own. It will be hard enough to explain that we are housing additional ex-Atlanteans for an extended period—you can imagine what trouble would be wrought were I to continue to allow starvation in the ranks."

Fury coursed through Jennifer's body, and she shoved him away.

"Perhaps the reason our research has not progressed more rapidly has more to do with the fact that _you_ will not allow yourself or your crew to even _attempt_ to feed on any of the subjects we have captured, and less to do with the actual pace of the research itself!" she howled, enraged.

"You know just as well as I do that I am not willing to put my crew at risk until we have a more stable affirmation that the process of feeding on non-human entities will bode well."

"And when will that affirmation come 'round, Guide? Because I'm starting to think this is all just a big game to you, and nothing more."

The commander sighed.

"Jennifer..."

"How can you expect me to be okay with this Guide? You're asking me to be okay with you feeding on _my_ kind! That's like me asking you to be okay with me killing Bonewhite so long as—"

"The candidates are _terminal_, Doctor!" Guide bellowed now, cutting her off, and Jennifer's mouth closed into a frown. Her eyes demanded answers, but neither her mind nor voice spoke the questions. The Wraith bent to retrieve his shirt and slipped it painfully over his head again. "The planet upon which my Hive has fed for many years now harbors a community of individuals whose bodies are failing them, and whom _elect_ the course of death by feeding."

She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes, waiting for him to continue.

"I told you I have never killed without reason, Doctor Kell-err, and I did not mislead you. My Hive has visited this particular planet for centuries, and we have never ended a life that was not already prepared to end. These humans have no options left, and choose death to ease their suffering. In return for their gift, we bestow upon them a gift of our own—one day and one night of perfect health in which they are pain-free and able to visit their loved ones for the last time, or settle other matters prior to being taken. One day and one night in which they might act freely, without consequence. It is a dignified process, and though their sacrifice may not slake our hunger to the fullest extent, it more than sustains us, and protects their families from harm. If you still believe I am a monster, Jennifer, I shall take you there to bear witness for yourself."

Moved, but unable to completely reject her anger, Jennifer's nose rose upward.

"That will not be necessary."

With a simple nod, Guide ushered her out of his quarters, allowing the door to spiral closed behind her.


	19. Reflections

**A/N: It's almost time for Guide to return...but first, what sort of trouble can Jennifer get herself into while he's gone?**

* * *

Jennifer awoke from a fitful sleep some hours later, her mind reeling at the knowledge Guide had passed to her and the understanding that her research was too weak to prove useful as of yet. It was a heavy blow. In spite of her generalized fear of Guide and the nature of his kind, she wanted to believe there was good in him. His tendency to so rapidly morph from her equal to one of such predacious instincts disturbed her though, and every time it happened the resolve she swore to herself she would retain crumbled away just a little bit more. Now, knowing her fellow Atlanteans were contained in the lower decks, albeit by her suggestion, that resolve threatened to fall away completely. She needed to see them, without Guide's figure looming beside her, and this was the perfect opportunity. Much of the Hive had left for the planet to feed, leaving Bonewhite in charge and a skeleton crew to tend to the ship in the meantime.

Quietly, the doctor padded out into the main living quarters and slipped on the strange Wraith footwear she had been given after her Atlantean shoes were eaten by one of the beasts. They were too large, for her body was slight in comparison even to a Wraith queen. She took care to choose a slightly more human-esque jacket from the cubby nearby, for it would not reflect well to John and the others were she to arrive in full Wraith dress.

Jennifer's voice activated the door to the upper corridors and she slipped out into the dim light, silent as a mouse and quickly glancing about for any possible Drones. Though Guide had by now permitted to roam the upper decks without an escort, anything mid-deck and lower was still forbidden. The commander had claimed it was for her safety, but Jennifer remained convinced the great ship itself would assist her, given its constant exchange of knowledge with Guide himself. Surely it understood what he felt fo her, and would protect that.

As she moved through the corridors, the floor spongey and damp so that it seeped through the soles of the Wraith boots, the blonde found her mind wandering to the moment when Guide had so willingly entrapped and kissed her. He had made no similar moves since that day, save for the instant just a few hours before when he had touched his head to hers, but she had seen Wraith act similarly with members of their own species. It did not mean he felt anything more than an affinity for her situation. Still, she couldn't deny how unsettled his mind had been in that particular moment. The commander was indeed worried, and even though she could not quite determine the origin, something in the deep recesses of mind knew that worry revolved around her.

By nature, Guide was a predator and Jennifer his prey, but yet, day after day, he skillfully fought against his base instincts so that he might treat her as one would a delicate rose. On occasion he slipped up, but the doctor felt now that she understood the reasons, and when he returned, she would forgive him. Had he so wished it, he might have vanished from the ship for two days to conduct further research, but instead he had seen fit to explain to his counterpart precisely where he was going, and how he justified his actions. Jennifer would never agree with it, but she was not without compassion for either the Wraith or the dying individuals upon which they would feed. Guide reasoned that their lives would end with dignity in a way they could never do without the Wraith, and Jennifer believed him. Even assisted by their own kind, the patients would never have the chance to live as they once had, if only for a short time, and it was this fact that gave Jennifer the confidence to say there was good in the Wraith after all.

She had entered the lower decks now, and here the Hive grew darker and the thrum of the engines more prominent. Mist coiled upward from the moist floor, obscuring her view and threatening to choke her within its humid clutches. The passages here were narrower, but they swelled outward to allow her more comfortable transit, narrowing again behind her. Guide had told her once that this was a safety feature of the Hive—a way to restrict the movement of any prisoners who might escape their cells. The Hive was pre-programmed to know who should be traveling and who should not; evidently, it felt Jennifer was a welcome guest.

Soon the three cells in which John and the others were held appeared before her, and Jennifer's pace quickened until she could grasp the bars. Her team quickly got to their feet and strode over to her, their faces tired but otherwise unharmed.

"How are you guys doing?" she asked, her eyes falling to each of them in turn.

John, the first to speak, shrugged as he did so.

"Aside from the fact that we're stuck in here and can't go anywhere, not too bad."

"Have you been threatened in any way?" the doctor inquired, her motherly nature appearing rather swiftly. "Were any of you injured in the firefight?"

John shook his head, and then looked to Rodney.

"Well, I think McKay's pride was a bit hurt when Todd wouldn't let us help with whatever it is you thought we could...but other than that, no, no injuries."

At this, Rodney perked up, switching over to Jennifer's own well-being.

"What about you, Jennifer? You've been here a lot longer than we have. Are you hurt?"

A reassuring smile flashed across her face and she reached out to squeeze Rodney's hand through the bars.

"I'm fine, Rodney," the blonde assured him, smiling again. "I have been treated quite well, actually. We've not made a lot of progress with the Hoffan drug, but we've begun pursuing other avenues to draw the Wraith away from humans. That's what you saw yesterday."

"That...thing...that was on the ground?" Rodney inquired, his eyes widened. "How is _that_ going to help get the Wraith away from humans?"

"Alternative food source, if it works. We still have a few other options we need to find and catch, but for now, there's two in the labs we are working with." The doctor couldn't conceal the faint note of pride in her voice, especially when Rodney made a noise to indicate he had grudgingly approved. She opened her mouth to say more, but was halted unexpectedly when Bonewhite appeared beside her.

"The commander will be most displeased to learn that you have, yet again, disobeyed his orders, Doctor," Bonewhite said, his voice unnervingly cool and calm. His narrow green eyes looked at the other Atlanteans now. "Rest easy, humans. Your doctor is well cared for, and so long as you do not attempt to leave the confines of these living quarters, so shall you be."

"Are we guests or prisoners?" Teyla spoke from the back of the group, approaching the bars now. "We see that Jennifer is allowed to move about the Hive, but if we are to assist you with your studies, should we not be allowed to do the same?"

Bonewhite sneered.

"Your stay here shall be as pleasant or unpleasant as you like, but the determination of which sort you receive is entirely up to you. Be thankful your doctor has sway with the commander, or you might otherwise have been killed on sight."

Bonewhite gripped Jennifer by the shoulder and rotated her now, ushering her before him and leaving her fellow Atlanteans behind.

"Where are you taking me?" Jennifer demanded as she and Bonewhite entered a section of the ship to which she had never been. The Wraith remained stiff and silent until they reached a doorway, and as he pressed her through it with a hand at the small of her back, she realized he had brought her to his own quarters. His hand never leaving her, Bonewhite directed her to take a seat in a large high-backed chair, and then he himself took a seat in an identical chair which sat opposite. A low table sat between the two, and the subcommander folded his hands on his lap and leaned forward to speak to her.

"What is it that makes you think you have such license as to wander the ship unaccompanied?" he began, his voice hissing through his sharp teeth. "I realize Guide has granted you permission for the upper decks, but to travel to the belly of the Hive, to speak with your fellow humans...one might begin to think you are..._up_ to something."

Jennifer momentarily clenched her jaw and stuck her chin out in defiance.

"I have been without human contact for months, Bonewhite. I thought my comrades lost to me forever. If you were subject to the same, would you not seek them out the moment you saw your chance to do so?"

"Every time you defy your commander, the Wraith on this ship garner additional reason to defy him themselves."

"Are you saying I've successfully assimilated?"

"Hardly. You have merely scratched the surface of what it means to be Wraith, and as I have told you before, you will_never_ be Wraith. Unless, of course, Guide seeks to transform you himself, and you and I have already established that is not the best choice." The Wraith Second raised a barely-detectable eyebrow and smirked.

"Guide has told me himself that he has no desire to turn me into something I am not," Jennifer snapped back, tense. "And, as I have had more positive contact with him than you, I am inclined to believe him."

"I can help you rebuild your life, Doctor Keller," Bonewhite whispered now, his lips curling slightly. "I can free your companions and return you to Earth."

Her eyes narrowed, but the woman's interest was piqued. Even so, she wasn't ready to fall into his scheme so easily.

"What makes you think I want to return to Earth?"

Bonewhite considered her for a moment, as though surprised.

"You would choose to live a life imprisoned by the very species responsible for the deaths of so many of your compatriots? Secluded with only occasional trips beyond these walls, interacting with so few individuals as myself and Guide?"

"And a similar life I chose when I joined the Atlantis expedition, Bonewhite. I don't understand why you believe I should have a problem with this lifestyle." The blonde's eyebrows now threatened to disappear into her hairline.

"What of your family back on Earth, Doctor?" Bonewhite continued, and he knew he had struck a nerve when he saw the woman's eyes falter briefly in their stare. "You expressed to me once that your sadness for those you thought were lost was great. How is it your parents must feel, believing their sole offspring to be dead? If you had the chance to return to your loved ones and explain away your falsified death, would you seize it? Wouldn't they like to see you again, Jennifer?"

"You want me to leave," Jennifer declared after she had regained her composure. "What I cannot understand is why." Bonewhite curled his lip and wrinkled his nose.

"I merely want what is best for this vessel, and your presence is anything but. You incite _change._ You instill _values_ upon my commander that have no place among our kind. The very sight of you makes him behave irrationally and put his entire crew at risk where such risk it not necessary. Your intelligence, while admirable, is best put to use elsewhere. I thought for a time that we could benefit from your services, but now that the Atlanteans have returned, I sense your loyalties will shift to them over the safety of this ship. You have already proven as much by visiting them without our permission."

"Just because I wanted to have contact with another human being again does _not_ mean my loyalties have shifted, Bonewhite," the human female snapped, standing up. "I understand your apprehension about my being on board, but if my word has gained any merit with you in the time I've been here, I assure you my intentions are only to help."

"Even the best of intentions can fall ill, my dear."

"Do you really think Guide will let me go back to Earth knowing what I know about this Hive and its goals? I'm a security risk Bonewhite, and you know it."

"Which is precisely why you need to convince him you are anything but a risk. Make him see you as you should be seen...an asset who is best utilized _beyond_ the walls of this Hive." A strange glimmer of an emotion Jennifer couldn't place flickered in the alien's eyes.

"Not long ago you insisted I not engage with him."

"Alas, you have disobeyed me just as you have disobeyed him. You are in too deep, now, Doctor Keller. You must finish whatever it is you've started. Guide and yourself will work best when you are not distracted by one another. Perhaps, someday, there will come a time when your...liaison...can be had without consequence."

"That could be centuries."

"All the more reason for you to start now."

Jennifer approached him now, daring to place her palms on the arm rests either side of his seated figure and press her face close to his own. Her voice was dripping with venom as she hissed out her response in a noticeably Wraith-like gesture.

"You're despicable, Bonewhite."

Before she could pull back, the subcommander snatched her by the back of the neck, his claws digging unmercifully into the sensitive flesh, and held her still as he stood up himself.

"_Careful_, darling," he whispered, his eyes flashing. "There's more than one way for me to achieve the same goal. I am not so pliable as Guide. Do not agitate me." He shoved her like a rag doll to the floor now, stepping over her and calling to the door to open. "You will stay here until Guide returns." The doctor scrambled to her feet and rushed at the door, only to be met with the solid wall. She beat her fists upon it repeatedly, screaming after the Wraith Second to release her, but it was no use. After some time, she ceased to cry out, collapsing with her back against the soft wall. She suspected there was more trouble to be had upon Guide's return.


	20. The Link

**A/N: This chapter is rated M for mature, so if it bothers you or if you're feeling immature, don't read. As a sidenote, I don't usually write this type of stuff and am pretty self conscious here, so please be kind or don't bother reviewing this chapter. Happy reading!**

* * *

By the time the door to Bonewhite's quarters opened, Jennifer had long since fallen asleep. Her dreams were so plagued by thoughts of the Second and his threats that when Guide's figure appeared behind her, she instinctively tried to flee.

A strong hand took hold of her wrist and whirled her back toward him, their eyes snapping together as two magnets would do, and without further thought on the matter, Jennifer threw herself at him, clasping her arms around him and burying her face in the solid platform of his chest. Tears poured from her eyes as they squeezed shut, while Guide, uncertain what to make of this display of emotion, held stock still until the good doctor came back to her senses. She realized then the possibility that Bonewhite had told Guide of her misadventures and her defiance, and suddenly he, too, was frightening. She released him and took two steps backward, her eyes wide like so many the Wraith had seen before in the moments before he claimed their lives, but this time, there would be no deaths. In one swift stride he was before her again, slipping his arm beneath her knees and behind her shoulders, scooping her effortlessly up into his arms. Jennifer, reassured, wrapped her arms around his neck and hid her face against him once more, stress and emotion overcoming her.

"My Jenn-i-ferr," the Wraith purred as he carried her through the passageways, "How I have missed you so."

Taken aback by the clarity of the statement, Jennifer said nothing, holding her position against him and waiting until they had reached their quarters before struggling to get her emotions back under control. Guide deposited her on the small bench cushion by the window, the soft glow of the Hive's exterior lights the only brightness in the vast blackness of space that shown through the glass. He took a seat beside her, brushing messy blonde hair from her eyes and tucking it carefully behind her ear. His clawed fingertip skimmed down the pale white flesh of her neck, along the curve of her form-fitting jacket, and finally settled at the outside of her thigh.

"Bonewhite tells me he had no choice but to contain you within his quarters," the Wraith commander spoke, his voice hinting at both disapproval and fondness in the same instant. "Even so, I hardly think it was necessary to cause you physical harm." His fingers swept back to her neck now, ghosting over the dried blood from the Second's earlier grasp. Jennifer sucked in a breath and looked up at him, brown eyes glistening with unshed tears, and she realized with a wrench in her gut that he appeared quite invigorated such as she had not yet seen.

"You've fed," she murmured, her voice cracking slightly. "Of course that's why you look so much healthier, and why your arm is healed. You weren't lying when you told me you'd gone to feed." Her heart twisted at the thought of the individuals whose lives had been lost, but she reminded herself of her earlier musings and how she understood the positions of both parties. All living things must eat, and all living things so too, must die.

Guide merely inclined his head, his large feeding hand extending to press his palm against the upper base of her spine, and Jennifer shivered at the sensation of the maw's serrated teeth as they twitched against her skin. Several drops of fluid oozed from the orifice, indicative of a recent feeding, and she flinched away from his touch.

"Please, Guide," whispered the female, ducking her eyes. "I am exhausted. I need to rest."

The hand paused briefly and then retracted.

"Very well," Guide said with another nod, and then he reached for her hand. "It is late, after all. However, there is something I would like to show you before you rest."

Curious but apprehensive, Jennifer raised herself to her feet and slipped her delicate palm into the one Guide offered to her. He tugged her to a section of wall along which was placed a small decorative table. His feeding hand befell the wall behind it and a strangely mechanical door swung away from his touch, opening into a darkened room.

As they entered, the dim glow of Wraith lights flickered to life, revealing a marvelous, plant-filled space containing several fountains, hand-built streams, and a large, towering waterfall. Jennifer's heart fluttered in her chest as she gazed upward and witnessed an impossibly clear glass dome through which the ringed planet the Hive currently orbited was visible. She followed the edges of the dome to the floor and realized with a start that the floor, too, was transparent, and she could see only stars below. The bubble, as she mentally labeled it, protruded outward over the large hole every Hive's hull contained. The only sections of floor not transparent were those covered by the soil, plants, structures, and waterways.

Some distance away she could see what looked like a large pedestal atop which was placed an enourmous slab of stone. She dropped Guide's hand and strode cautiously out into the room, slightly disoriented by the lack of a visible floor beneath her feet at times, and eventually she reached the stone, and ran her fingers carefully over the Wraith symbols scratched into the surface. When she turned, Guide was beside her again, his hands clasped behind his back, a faint but stoic grin upon his features.

"This is a religious place, isn't it Guide?" Jennifer inquired, her voice a whisper lest she ruin the beauty of the room.

"It is a place of great importance, my dear," he returned, his chin raising slightly as he spoke. "This is where I travel to give thanks for those who have sacrificed themselves for my crew."

"Like a confession?"

"Of sorts, Jenn-i-ferr, though not to request forgiveness. In place of each life I take, I plant a new seed in this space."

"Do the Wraith believe in a higher power?"

"Your question is bold, milady."

Jennifer narrowed her eyes at him.

"One should expect such questions upon being brought to this place."

A laugh, now, came from Guide's throat, and he clasped her shoulder in good nature.

"Those Wraith who have time to ponder the origin of life are few, Doctor Kell-err, but I will admit that there have been times when events have occurred which I have been unable to attribute to anything but a higher power. For instance..." Guide hesitated now, and then pierced her with those intelligent eyes. "For instance, the day that I met you."

Taken aback, Jennifer shook her head slightly and stared at him. The Wraith, looking uncomfortable, but determined, turned her to face him more directly.

"What else could thrust a human such as yourself and a Wraith such as myself together? I hardly believe the Replicators are at work here, and were you anyone else, you would have been imprisoned and fed upon."

The blonde studied him, her brown eyes darting between his.

"What makes me different, Guide?"

A low growl emerged from deep in his chest and he pulled her to him, burying his left hand in her hair at the back of her head and trailing the maw of his feeding hand up her body until it rested on the side of her neck. His breath came in short bursts which shifted her silky blonde hair, eliciting a shudder from her person that only egged him on.

"You...it is your _essence_, Doctor Kell-err..." the Wraith purred, and then he descended on her, closing his mouth over hers. When they separated again, Jennifer's cheeks were flushed, and the commander grinned. "Your _substance_..." He mashed their lips together for the second time, felt Jennifer's legs threaten to give way beneath her, and pulled back once more. "Your _humanity_." Guide backed her to the altar now, bending her backwards over it and kissing her, his tounge skimming gingerly along her lips until she willingly presented him access. She felt his body stiffen and his grasp on her tighten when she did so, a foreign excitement building within them both until Guide lifted upward again and turned his attention to her neck.

Jennifer's head pressed against the hard stone to force her throat outward, exposing it to his hungry mouth, her eyes squeezing shut and her jaw opening as she allowed the sensations to overwhelm her. She was vaguely aware of his hands as they traveled downward; dimly conscious of his fingers slipping back upward again to gasp the zipper at the top of her jacket and tug it towards her beltline, the doctor's body strained to assist him.

Beneath her jacket lay an undershirt to which Guide was not so kind. One sharp claw poked under the edge and within moments he had sliced it in two, exposing her freshly sensitized chest to his covetous gaze. Deliberatly slowing his pace now, Guide took an instant to connect with Jennifer mentally, his desire to be sated being pushed to the background until he knew for certain she was on board with his end goal.

"_Allow me to distinguish you, Jenn-i-ferr, from the others of your kind."_

At his silent words, he felt an abrupt resistance, and Guide understood why.

"_Your humanity will not be harmed," _he assured her, looking into her eyes. After a pause, a barely detectable nod came from the woman and Guide swiftly took action, his mouth dropping to her left breast while his feeding hand clasped over her right. The commander had a somewhat surprising understanding of precisely how to ensure Jennifer was enjoying herself, and it occurred to her suddenly that with their mental connection, it was very likely he was reading her mind in more ways than one. The pads of inhuman fingertips skated over the swell of one breast while a rough tongue worked in circles on the apex of the other, his lips drawing it inward until the figure below him became supple and a soft sigh came from her throat. Once satisfied with his work Guide switched sides, catching those brown eyes with his in the moments before he continued.

Everything about her drove him to madness. The mere sight of the exposed portion of her body left him starving though he had only just fed; the scent of her arousal spawned a shiver he could not conceal; the taste of her skin left him wondering if he would be be able to control himself should the need arise. _More_. He wanted—no, he _needed_—_more._

Jennifer was now fully aware when Guide's hand traveled lower on her figure and sought the buckle of her belt. A part of her being was nearly frozen in fear, but the more active portion of her mind was willing to take the risk and allow him to remove her lower coverings. Although she felt the tension in his muscles increase the closer he got to his goal, Jennifer recognized the inherant circumspection in the way his hands gripped her leggings and tugged them down. Soon the only layer of clothing left upon her were one of the lower garments he had provided to her shortly after she had arrived on the Hive. Just as he had done with the tank top, he slipped a claw beneath the fabric and divided it thrice, allowing it to fall from her hips to join the pile on the floor.

A rumble of approval surfaced from his chest as Guide lifted his female upright again and raked his yellow-green eyes over the sight before him. He sensed uncertainty within her, not toward his actions but her own splendor, and he quickly made her certain of it.

Leaning forward and brushing his lips against her ear, Guide whispered, "If ever you were my Queen, you would be the grandest of them all."

Jennifer's cheeks flamed and her eyes ducked to the floor, shyness overcoming her until her brain came to realize that Guide himself was still clothed. Her delicate hands reached for him, seeking the zipper of his own jacket and pulling at it.

"A Queen should not be kept waiting, Guide," she whispered in return, her voice quivering in spite of her enjoyment of the moment, and the Wraith grinned. He released her now, the pair of their hands now collecively working to relieve him of his uniform, the sound of leather against skin as it slid to the floor seeming louder than even the waterfalls in the room. Soon, the Wraith, too, stood bare, and Jennifer's fingers came to rest at the points of his hips and feel the foreign skin so different from her own.

Harsh to the touch and lined with prominent veins, the Wraith's hide was also littered with the scars of wars great and small. The most recent one at his shoulder left a sharp pain in the woman's heart, knowing it was her people that had wounded him. Jennifer traced every scar within her reach, causing the commander to shudder so voilently with want that he snatched her by the upper arms to stop her.

"Jenn-i-ferr..." he murmured as he met her gaze, "Wraith flesh is more delicate than you might suspect...our scars are painful in more ways than one."

Bowing her head, the Atlantean apologized, but Guide would have none of it.

Clasping his large hands around her midsection he lifted her to sit atop the stone altar with her legs dangling off, allowing Jennifer the first direct look upon everything that made him male, and she was grateful to see that he was very much human in that regard. The alien chuckled at what must have been a rather worried expression upon his would-be-lover's face.

"I assure you, Doctor, I shall not hurt you."

With that the Wraith tucked his fingers into her hair again and pushed her forward and upward, his hips pressing against her knees as he did so, and ever so gradually, he nudged them apart. Jennifer, lost in the sensation of his kiss and his other hand as it roamed along the sensitive flesh of her back, could only submit as the hand at her back pushed her hips closer to the edge of the altar. Her knees spread wider, and then Guide's mouth lowered to her collar and he nipped at the tender tissue with his sharp teeth, eliciting a gasp from the woman which coincided with a final push from his hand to move her closer to him.

His arousal evident and his prize at last within reach, Guide pulled backward to lift Jennifer's chin with his hands and give her one last chance to deny him. It would be difficult if she did, but as he held such respect for her, he would stop if she so wished it.

"Treat me well, Guide," the human female whispered, and she chanced a smile and leaned forward to kiss him. Another growl emerged from his throat and as his tongue explored her mouth, so too did his hand guide himself to her opening, his muscles tensing again as he made his move. His nostrils flared as air rushed through them, his entire body straining to ensure that his journey into her remained slow but unfaltering, strong but not forcible. Jennifer, unable to hold the kiss any longer, fell backward to catch herself on two palms behind her buttocks and against the stone, her mouth agape and her eyes sealed shut as Guide pressed inside her, filling her to the brim and then some. At long last, he hit his stop, a sharp gasp spilling from the woman and himself almost in unison, and when she lifted her head to look into his eyes, the Wraith was shocked by the need he felt within her. He moved his palms to press against her back, holding her to him and Jennifer wrapped her own arms around him, breathing hard and closing her eyes again as he began to withdraw.

She bit down with less than gentle force upon his collarbone, and Guide hissed when he was ready to repeat his earlier actions. He pulled her hips against him and drove into her for the second time, while Jennifer's brows pulled upward over the bridge of her nose. She reveled in the joy of the connection. Gradually the pace increased, as did the fervor of their movements, and soon Guide was able to slip into and out of her with minimal resistance. Rocked to her core, Jennifer's fingers dug into his shoulder, their grip ever tightening as the pair neared their release. In her mind, she saw flashes of Guide in situations she did not recognize, and in his, he saw himself, always at a distance, as though viewed from her eyes. It only encouraged him and as he continued to pleasure her he was met with the mental sight of their first moment of intimacy.

"My...Jenn-i-ferr..." he croaked, his voice interrupted by his motions, but she somehow found a way to look at him through it all. He spared a hand to tend to her center, understanding what would bring her to the edge and beyond. With a few quick strokes Jennifer whimpered softly and weakened beneath him, her body yielding to the power of his own and with a strangled gasp, so too did his to hers.

Collapsing to the cool surface of the altar, Guide trailed his lips down the line of symmetry between her ribs, his center still joined with hers. His hot breath shifted the dampened strands of Jennifer's hair that dared to stray onto her heaving chest. She lifted her head to look the Wraith in the eye again, pupils dilated and longing for more. Guide only smiled, his own eyes dark, and then carefully removed himself.

"Milady," the Wraith commander breathed, tugging her to her wobbly feet, "You are truly the grandest of them all."


	21. A Most Questionable Affair

Somehow over the course of the evening Guide had found his way to his enormous bed, and when the commander awoke some hours later, he couldn't help the surprise that came at finding Jennifer's warm body nestled against his own. Her palm rested on his broad chest and her cheek upon his bicep which was stretched out and bent around her. The Wraith studied her, his eyes wide in spite of his recent awakening, as memories of the past events gradually filtered back into the forefront of his mind. Thoughts of what he had done with her, of what she had _allowed_ him to do, and of the way he had felt in the process came to him now, and he shifted slightly to let his feeding hand stroke her hair. Jennifer stirred at his movement but did not wake, and the commander allowed his eyes to travel down the picturesque physique that slept peacefully before him. He noted the tender marks on each side of her hips where his claws had unwittingly dug into her skin, and he cursed himself for interrupting the otherwise flawless lines of her body.

His fingers moved down to brush the area beside her eyes, all the while his mind striving to understand what it was about him that had convinced Jennifer that he was the one worth giving herself to. Inwardly, a sense of raw satisfaction suddenly hit him when he thought of what he had received and McKay had not, and he made a mental note to inform McKay of that fact as soon as possible. He knew Jennifer would not approve, but he would choose to ignore that fact. A simple slip of the tongue would be forgivable, he was certain.

For the life of him, Guide could not understand why he felt such need for the fair haired maiden who lay against him. She was not Wraith, and her human nature was more irksome than not. Nothing good could come of their relationship, however strong or weak, but still he fought valiantly onward, pushing her and striving to claim her for his own. The Hive would not approve of what he had done, and by now they would most certainly know of his actions. The alliance, however scattered, would never allow Jennifer to live if ever they were to capture her. The Primary, wherever she was and in whatever state, would order a fate worse than death for Guide himself. He shuddered to fathom the possibilities. And now, with his attachment to the doctor and her intimate knowledge of the Wraith, both their lives were at risk even within their present Hive.

The woman's eyes flickered open and Guide, shifted from his musings, was immediately at attention, oddly nervous to experience her reaction to their...correspondence. The woman sat bolt upright, staring at him with wide eyes, and so entertained was the Wraith that he let out a hearty laugh. Jennifer's shock swiftly turned into a glare, and she flopped down to the mattress again with her back to him.

"It's a bit too late for second thoughts," Guide offered through his chuckling, but when Jennifer only rolled her eyes at him, he curbed his amusement and leaned over her, encircling her collar and shoulders with one muscular arm and brushing his chest against her back. The Wraith's sharp teeth nipped at her neck and Jennifer instantly felt herself melt into him.

"I promise I'm not having second thoughts," she murmured as he smiled and pulled her up so that they both sat on the edge of the mattress. "That was..."

"Enjoyable?" Guide suggested, his tone oddly playful in a way she had only witnessed a few times in the past. "Or something more meaningful..._sublime_, perhaps?"

A soft smile came to the woman's face and her eyes sought his.

"I'm not much for important talks the morning after, Guide, but you did well," she issued, and leaned her head against his shoulder. "Thank you."

The commander nodded, satisfied with her declaration, and pulled her to her feet. His eyes raked over her form with a freshly renewed hunger, but he quickly turned to the wardrobe from which he retrieved coverings for them both. As much as he had enjoyed the evening past, and as much as he wanted to continue with her now, there was business to attend to. Not to mention the consequences that would ultimately come from their union. By now the Hive would be bristling with bother and question. He owed them an explanation.

* * *

In his study, Bonewhite paced circle after circle, the heated adrenaline burning his inhuman veins as the thrum of detrimental alterations pulsed throughout the Hive. He'd urged Jennifer to convince Guide of her affection, but he had not anticipated she would _actually_ go through with such an intimate act as copulation, and it made the Wraith Second want to scream aloud in frustration. _How_ could Guide allow this to happen? He was throwing away _everything_ they had worked for. Centuries spent rebuilding a reputation and little by little gaining access to the alliance and stepping closer and closer to the Primary...and here he was, bending to the will of his human plaything and ignoring those who had stood beside him for all those years! The fact that Bonewhite could sense Guide's ironclad affection for the Atlantean—along with every other Wraith in the vicinity—left them all in grave danger, and the subcommander simply could not allow it to go on. While Jennifer could indeed remain useful to the point that he refused to slay her, something had to be done.

* * *

"Commander," Bonewhite's voice came from behind Guide as he strode toward the bridge, his long trenchcoat sweeping rhythmically as he moved. For a moment he continued walking, not entirely pleased with his Second considering his rough treatment of Jennifer in Guide's absence. Bonewhite quickly caught up to him, stepping out in front of him and forcing his superior to halt. Guide held his gaze, his head tilting as he awaited an explanation. Bonewhite took the hint and began speaking.

"I am sure you understand that by now what you have done is not unknown to me, nor to the rest of the Hive," the Second began, his voice stiff and hurried. "What were you thinking?"

Guide, taken aback by his subordinate's gall, narrowed his eyes.

"You know of this event because I have allowed it to be known, Bonewhite. If we are to ensure the survival of all Wraith, we must make sacrifices."

"Indeed," the Wraith Second agreed in a low voice. "Though I am not sure I understand your methodology. Please, tell me how creating dissent in the ranks is pertinent to our goals of reaching new feeding grounds."

"Our goals have changed, Bonewhite."

"And _when_ were you planning on informing the rest of us of this..._epiphany_...of yours?" Bonewhite snarled in return, daring to take a step forward into his superior's space.

Guide stiffened now, standing straighter and looking down upon his counterpart in an effort to subdue his insubordination. His voice was low and stern.

"I am the Commander of this vessel, Bonewhite," he growled, his eyes flashing. "If you so wish to be rid of that command, I would be more than happy to dispel your person to the vacuum that is the space outside the hive. Until you decide to take that route, I would suggest you cease your questioning and fall in line."

Guide watched as the skin on one side of his Second's nostrils twitched and wrinkled, the slit upon his cheek narrowing in displeasure. The Commander himself lifted his chin and raised his brows in expectation.

At last, Bonewhite grudgingly relented.

"As you wish it, Commander.

* * *

**A/N: **My apologies for the long wait between updates! Between changing jobs, starting a new business, and working on a series of original fiction stories, this one got placed on the back burner! I can't promise regular updates at this point, but I do intend to continue. In the meantime, hopefully this helps with a bit of closure on the part of the last...ahem...interaction...between our heroes. As always, enjoy!


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